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Spatial organisation plasticity reduces disease infection risk in rock-paper-scissors models
J Menezes1, S Batista2, E Rangel2
1Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands; School of Science and Technology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, 59072-970, P.O. Box 1524, Natal, RN, Brazil.
Restricting organism mobility can alter spatial patterns to minimize disease risk. Optimal strategy depends on pathogen virulence and transmissibility, balancing group size and dispersal for ecosystem resilience.
Area of Science:
- Theoretical Ecology
- Mathematical Biology
- Evolutionary Game Theory
Background:
- Cyclic game systems are susceptible to contagious diseases.
- Pathogen mutations can alter disease virulence and transmissibility.
- Organism mobility is a key factor in disease dissemination.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the impact of mobility control on disease infection risk in a three-species cyclic game.
- Analyze how spatial organization plasticity affects adaptation to changing disease virulence.
- Determine optimal dispersal strategies for ecosystem resilience against epidemics.
Main Methods:
- Stochastic simulations of the spatial rock-paper-scissors game.
- Modeling collective self-preservation strategies through mobility restriction.
- Analyzing spatial patterns and characteristic length scales under varying dispersal levels.
Main Results:
- Mobility control induces plasticity in spatial patterns, creating species-specific domains.
- Domain size scales with the level of dispersal restrictions.
- Adaptation to minimize disease risk is facilitated by spatial organization plasticity.
Conclusions:
- Mobility restriction strategies can be tuned to optimize ecosystem response to pathogen mutations.
- Less restricted mobility benefits organisms when diseases are more transmissible or less lethal.
- Highly restricted mobility maximizes benefits against less contagious or deadlier diseases.
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