Evolution as a result of resource flow in ecosystems: Ecological dynamics can drive evolution

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary biology
• Ecological economics
• Systems ecology

Background:

• Understanding the interplay between energy flow, resource dynamics, and evolutionary processes is crucial for ecological and economic systems.
• Previous models often simplify individual interactions and resource limitations, potentially overlooking key drivers of evolutionary change.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel framework linking energy flow across ecosystems to evolutionary dynamics.
• To investigate the principles governing system equilibrium and non-equilibrium fluctuations.
• To analyze the evolution of cooperation under varying environmental and population structures.

Main Methods:

• Development of a theoretical framework incorporating resource accumulation, metabolic costs, growth, and reproduction.
• Application of conservation principles (resource conservation and payoff equality) to determine equilibrium states.
• Utilizing a gradient-ascend dynamical mean-field equation to predict non-equilibrium fluctuations.
• Modeling public goods games in mixed and structured populations with varying resource availability and population viscosity.

Main Results:

• Two key principles, resource conservation and payoff equality, dictate system equilibrium.
• Non-equilibrium fluctuations arise from individual exponential growth, violating payoff equality.
• Cooperation evolves in resource-poor environments but not in resource-rich ones.
• Population viscosity's effect on cooperation is context-dependent (beneficial in poor, detrimental in rich environments).
• Cooperators exhibit shorter lifespans and higher reproduction rates than defectors.

Conclusions:

• The proposed framework successfully integrates energy flow and evolutionary dynamics.
• Environmental resource availability and population structure significantly shape the evolution of cooperation and life-history strategies.
• Population viscosity can homogenize life-history traits, reducing differences between strategies.