Emergent competition shapes the ecological properties of multi-trophic ecosystemss

Area of Science:

• Theoretical ecology
• Ecosystem dynamics
• Food web interactions

Background:

• Ecosystems are structured by trophic levels, influencing diversity and competition.
• Understanding how these factors shape ecosystem properties is a fundamental ecological question.

Approach:

• A generalized Consumer Resource Model with three trophic levels was analyzed.
• The zero-temperature cavity method and numerical simulations were employed.

Key Points:

• Intra-trophic diversity leads to emergent competition between species within a trophic level.
• This emergent competition causes a transition from top-down to bottom-up ecosystem control.
• A simple order parameter, based on surviving species ratios, captures this transition.

Conclusions:

• Theoretical findings align with empirical observations in complex ecosystems.
• The model provides a framework for understanding multi-trophic level ecosystems.