Evolution of dispersal in closed advective environments

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Mathematical Biology

Background:

• Competition models are crucial for understanding species coexistence.
• Advective environments, characterized by unidirectional flow, introduce unique dynamics not present in static systems.
• Dispersal rates significantly influence population dynamics and evolutionary outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze a two-species competition model in a closed advective environment.
• To determine the evolutionary selection pressures on dispersal rates under advection.
• To investigate the existence and stability of evolutionary strategies in this context.

Main Methods:

• Linear stability analysis of the semi-trivial steady state.
• Invasion exponent analysis for diverse resource functions.
• Mathematical determination of criteria for singular and evolutionarily stable strategies.

Main Results:

• Slow dispersal is generally selected against in closed advective environments, contrasting with non-advective scenarios.
• Analysis suggests that intermediate dispersal rates may be evolutionarily selected.
• Criteria for the existence and multiplicity of singular and evolutionarily stable strategies were determined for small, comparable diffusion and advection rates.

Conclusions:

• Advection fundamentally alters selection pressures on dispersal compared to non-advective systems.
• Intermediate dispersal rates are potentially favored in closed advective environments.
• All identified singular strategies are convergent stable, indicating robust evolutionary outcomes.