Higher order interactions and species coexistence

Theoretical Ecology - Tập 14 - Trang 71-83 - 2020
Pragya Singh1, Gaurav Baruah2,3
1Department of Zoology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
2Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Center for Ecology Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Eawag, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
3Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

Tóm tắt

Higher order interactions (HOIs) have been suggested to stabilize diverse ecological communities. However, their role in maintaining species coexistence from the perspective of modern coexistence theory is not known. Here, using generalized Lotka-Volterra model, we derive a general rule for species coexistence modulated by HOIs. We show that where pairwise species interactions fail to promote species coexistence in regions of extreme fitness differences, negative HOIs that intensify pairwise competition, however, can promote coexistence provided that HOIs strengthen intraspecific competition more than interspecific competition. In contrast, positive HOIs that alleviate pairwise competition can stabilize coexistence across a wide range of fitness differences, irrespective of differences in strength of inter- and intraspecific competition. In addition, we extend our three-species analytical result to multispecies communities and show, using simulations, that multispecies coexistence is possible provided that strength of negative intraspecific HOIs is higher than interspecific HOIs. Our work sheds light on the underlying mechanisms through which HOIs can maintain species diversity.

Tài liệu tham khảo

Abrams PA (1983) Arguments in favor of higher order interactions. Am Nat 121:887–891. https://doi.org/10.1086/284111 AlAdwani M, Saavedra S (2019) Is the addition of higher-order interactions in ecological models increasing the understanding of ecological dynamics? bioRxiv 595140–595140. https://doi.org/10.1101/595140 Bairey E, Kelsic ED, Kishony R (2016) High-order species interactions shape ecosystem diversity. Nat Commun 7:12285–12285. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12285 Barabás G, Meszéna G, Ostling A (2012) Community robustness and limiting similarity in periodic environments. Theor Ecol 5:265–282. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12080-011-0127-z Barabás G, Michalska-Smith JM, Allesina S (2016) The effect of intra- and interspecific competition on coexistence in multispecies communities. Am Nat 188:E1–E12. https://doi.org/10.1086/686901 Billick I, Case TJ (1994) Higher order interactions in ecological communities: what are they and how can they be detected? Ecology 75:1529–1543. https://doi.org/10.2307/1939614 Chesson P (2000) Mechanisms of maintenance of species diversity. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 31:343–366. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.31.1.343 Chesson P (2018) Updates on mechanisms of maintenance of species diversity. J Ecol 106:1773–1794. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13035 Fulton W (2000) Eigenvalues, invariant factors, highest weights, and Schubert calculus. Bull Am Math Soc 37:209–249. https://doi.org/10.1090/S0273-0979-00-00865-X Gallien L, Zimmermann NE, Levine JM, Adler PB (2017) The effects of intransitive competition on coexistence. Ecol Lett 20:791–800. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12775 Grainger TN, Levine JM, Gilbert B (2019) The invasion criterion: a common currency for ecological research. Trends Ecol Evol. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2019.05.007 Grilli J, Barabás G, Michalska-Smith MJ, Allesina S (2017) Higher-order interactions stabilize dynamics in competitive network models. Nature 548:210–210. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature23273 Hart SP, Schreiber SJ, Levine JM, Coulson T (2016) How variation between individuals affects species coexistence. Ecol Lett 19:825–838 Hart SP, Usinowicz J, Levine JM (2017) The spatial scales of species coexistence. Nat Ecol Evol 1:1066–1073. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0230-7 Kleinhesselink AR, Kraft NJB, Levine JM (2019) Mechanisms underlying higher order interactions: from quantitative definitions to ecological processes. bioRxiv 857920. https://doi.org/10.1101/857920 Kraft NJB, Godoy O, Levine JM (2015) Plant functional traits and the multidimensional nature of species coexistence. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 112:797–802. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1413650112 Kremer CT, Klausmeier CA (2013) Coexistence in a variable environment: eco-evolutionary perspectives. J Theor Biol 339:14–25 Laird RA, Schamp BS (2006) Competitive intransitivity promotes species coexistence. Am Nat 168:182–193. https://doi.org/10.1086/506259 Letten AD, Stouffer DB (2019) The mechanistic basis for higher-order interactions and non-additivity in competitive communities. Ecol Lett 22:423–436. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13211 Levine JM, Bascompte J, Adler PB, Allesina S (2017) Beyond pairwise mechanisms of species coexistence in complex communities. Nature 546:56–64. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature22898 Li L, Chesson P (2016) The effects of dynamical rates on species coexistence in a variable environment: the paradox of the plankton revisited. Am Nat 188:E46–E58. https://doi.org/10.1086/687111 Mayfield MM, Stouffer DB (2017) Higher-order interactions capture unexplained complexity in diverse communities. Nat Ecol Evol 1:0062–0062. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-016-0062 Saavedra S, Rohr RP, Bascompte J et al (2017) A structural approach for understanding multispecies coexistence. Ecol Monogr 87:470–486. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecm.1263 Terry JCD, Morris RJ, Bonsall MB (2017) Trophic interaction modifications: an empirical and theoretical framework. Ecol Lett 20:1219–1230. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12824 Terry JCD, Morris RJ, Bonsall MB (2018) Trophic interaction modifications disrupt the structure and stability of food webs. bioRxiv 345280. https://doi.org/10.1101/345280 Tilman D (1994) Competition and biodiversity in spatially structured habitats. Ecology 75:2–16 Valladares F, Bastias CC, Godoy O et al (2015) Species coexistence in a changing world. Front Plant Sci 6:866–866. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2015.00866 Wilson DS (1992) Complex interactions in metacommunities, with implications for biodiversity and higher levels of selection. Ecology 73:1984–2000. https://doi.org/10.2307/1941449