Mutualism provides a basis for biodiversity in eco-evolutionary community assembly

Area of Science:

• Community ecology
• Eco-evolutionary dynamics
• Theoretical ecology

Background:

• Ecological theory suggests structural constraints on species interactions are vital for community persistence.
• Mechanisms driving the emergence of complex interaction networks and their stability remain poorly understood.
• Understanding how diverse interaction types coexist and form persistent networks is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the assembly of complex, multi-type species interaction networks using an eco-evolutionary model.
• To determine the consequences of network assembly for ecosystem stability.
• To explore the roles of mutualism and speciation in ecological complexity.

Main Methods:

• Development and application of an eco-evolutionary model.
• Simulation of community assembly processes (ecological vs. evolutionary).
• Analysis of species interaction networks and their stability properties.

Main Results:

• Highly mutualistic communities are associated with complex and stable network configurations, supporting a positive complexity-stability relationship.
• Evolution by speciation promotes complex network emergence more effectively than ecological assembly via species invasions.
• Communities evolved in isolation exhibit disproportionately higher complexity and a wider range of outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Mutualism plays a key role in generating complex and stable ecological networks.
• Speciation is a significant driver of ecological complexity and community stability.
• Eco-evolutionary models provide valuable insights into the formation of persistent, complex ecosystems.