Increased persistence via asynchrony in oscillating ecological populations with long-range interaction.

Area of Science:

• Spatial ecology
• Theoretical ecology
• Ecological network analysis

Background:

• Species persistence is influenced by dispersal network structure.
• Randomized dispersal networks can increase species persistence through clustering and prolonged dynamics.
• Understanding deterministic network effects on species persistence is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate how deterministic network topology affects species persistence.
• Explore the role of long-range, power-law interactions in metapopulation dynamics.
• Compare deterministic and random network influences on ecological systems.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Rosenzweig-MacArthur model within a network of oscillators (patches).
• Analyzed systems with deterministic network topologies featuring distance-dependent power-law coupling.
• Quantified relationships between power-law exponent, cluster formation, synchrony, and population fluctuations.

Main Results:

• Deterministic power-law coupling can drive metapopulations from synchrony to asynchrony as the exponent increases.
• Asynchrony and prolonged transient dynamics were observed in deterministic networks.
• Smaller metapopulations were found to be more vulnerable to extinction than larger ones.

Conclusions:

• Deterministic network topologies, particularly those with power-law interactions, can promote species persistence.
• The findings highlight the importance of network structure in theoretical ecology.
• This work bridges understanding between random and deterministic network influences on ecological persistence.