Impact of starvation-driven diffusions and diverse interspecific competitions on species coexistence and fitness

This study examines competition models based on the Lotka-Volterra form that incorporate starvation-driven diffusions (SDD). Such dispersal assumes that species disperse in response to resource abundance or scarcity in a heterogeneous habitat. The primary objective of this study is to examine how SDD, in combination with diverse interspecific interactions, affects species' fitness and coexistence states. To this end, the study introduces a refined classification for competing interactions based on a novel metric that quantifies the variability of resource heterogeneity across the environment. This approach contrasts with traditional models that assume uniform diffusion within homogeneous environments. This study investigates the local stability of two semitrivial steady states and establishes the existence and uniqueness of positive steady states by eigenvalue analysis and monotone dynamical systems theory. Through this analytical exploration, the study reveals that the interplay between species' dispersal strategies and the varying intensities of interspecific competition significantly impacts ecological outcomes.