Abundance-mediated species interactions

Area of Science:

• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
• Quantitative Ecology
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• Species interactions are key drivers of biodiversity, community structure, and population dynamics.
• Current ecological models often rely on species occupancy, potentially oversimplifying interaction strengths.
• Ecological theory suggests population abundance, not just presence, underpins interaction strength.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the limitations of occupancy-based models in accurately representing species interactions.
• To develop and demonstrate an abundance-mediated interaction framework using detection/non-detection data.
• To provide statistical tools (MCMC samplers) for analyzing complex ecological scenarios.

Main Methods:

• Utilized simulation studies to compare occupancy-based versus abundance-mediated interaction models.
• Developed novel Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) samplers for various ecological interaction types.
• Applied the abundance-mediated framework to a North American three-species network (coyotes, fishers, American marten).

Main Results:

• Occupancy-only models produced erroneous parameter estimates and missed significant species interactions.
• The abundance-mediated framework revealed previously unidentified interactions within the studied network.
• Modeling species interactions based on abundance significantly altered the understanding of system dynamics compared to occupancy.

Conclusions:

• Accounting for species abundance is critical for accurate ecological interaction modeling.
• The proposed abundance-mediated framework offers a more robust approach to understanding community ecology.
• This paradigm shift is essential for advancing ecological research and conservation efforts.