Spatial variability enhances species fitness in stochastic predator-prey interactions

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that spatial variability in predation rates in a stochastic predator-prey model leads to increased population densities, faster invasion fronts, and more localized activity patches, highlighting the importance of spatial heterogeneity.

Contribution

It introduces the impact of quenched spatial randomness on predator-prey dynamics within a lattice model, revealing enhanced populations and invasion speeds.

Findings

Higher asymptotic population densities due to spatial variability

Localized activity patches emerge from spatial heterogeneity

Increased invasion front propagation speed

Abstract

We study the influence of spatially varying reaction rates on a spatial stochastic two-species Lotka-Volterra lattice model for predator-prey interactions using two-dimensional Monte Carlo simulations. The effects of this quenched randomness on population densities, transient oscillations, spatial correlations, and invasion fronts are investigated. We find that spatial variability in the predation rate results in more localized activity patches, which in turn causes a remarkable increase in the asymptotic population densities of both predators and prey, and accelerated front propagation.