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Coexistence in diverse communities with higher-order interactions
Theo Gibbs1, Simon A Levin2, Jonathan M Levine2
1Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544.
Summary
Ecological models often overlook higher-order interactions. This study reveals how interaction variability and strength impact species coexistence, showing that diverse communities are sensitive to these complex ecological dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Community Ecology
- Theoretical Ecology
Background:
- Ecological models traditionally assume pairwise species interactions.
- Higher-order interactions (involving three or more species) can significantly influence community structure and species coexistence.
- Current understanding of how higher-order interactions shape ecological communities is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analytically predict and numerically confirm the effects of higher-order interaction variability and strength on species coexistence.
- To provide theoretical expectations for how higher-order interactions influence community structure in diverse ecosystems.
- To generalize classic community stability results to systems with higher-order interactions.
Main Methods:
- Analytical predictions of species coexistence under varying higher-order interaction scenarios.
- Numerical simulations to confirm theoretical predictions.
- Exploration of different functional forms for interaction strengths, including density saturation.
Main Results:
- Increased variability in higher-order interaction strengths reduced the number of coexisting species, similar to pairwise models.
- Excessively harmful interspecific higher-order interactions destabilized diverse communities.
- Coexistence was lost when higher-order interactions were too weak, particularly when mutualistic effects predominated.
- Density-dependent saturation of mutualistic higher-order interactions ameliorated destabilizing effects.
- Species-rich communities structured by higher-order interactions exhibited greater species loss than species-poor communities.
Conclusions:
- Higher-order interactions play a critical role in structuring ecological communities and determining species coexistence.
- The variability and strength of these interactions, along with their functional form, are key factors influencing community stability.
- This research offers crucial theoretical insights into the dynamics of complex ecological communities, moving beyond simplified pairwise interaction assumptions.
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