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Modelling Coevolution in Multispecies Communities

Caldarelli1, Higgs, McKane

  • 1Department of Theoretical Physics, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, U.K.

Journal of Theoretical Biology
|September 15, 1998
PubMed
Summary
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The Webworld model simulates ecological food webs and evolutionary speciation. It reveals how new species impact web stability and can trigger extinction avalanches, mirroring fossil record events.

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Theoretical Biology

Background:

  • Ecological food web structure and evolutionary dynamics of speciation/extinction are typically modeled separately.
  • Understanding the interplay between ecological interactions and evolutionary processes is crucial for community dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce and analyze the Webworld model, integrating ecological food web structure with evolutionary speciation and extinction.
  • To explore how species' characteristic features influence ecological interactions and community stability over evolutionary time.

Main Methods:

  • Developed the Webworld model where species are defined by features, determining interaction scores and resource transfer.
  • Simulated speciation events as time steps, introducing new species with similar features and recalculating food web structure.

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  • Measured model web properties (species proportions, links, trophic levels) and compared them to real food web data.

    • Main Results:

    • The model successfully links ecological food web dynamics with evolutionary speciation and extinction.
    • New species can integrate stably, go extinct, or cause extinctions due to competition.
    • Extinction avalanches were observed when highly adapted novel organisms emerged, consistent with self-organized criticality.

    Conclusions:

    • The Webworld model provides a framework for studying ecological community dynamics on evolutionary timescales.
    • Model results offer insights into observed extinction events in the fossil record.
    • The study highlights the potential for self-organized criticality in ecosystem evolution.