Species competition: coexistence, exclusion and clustering

TL;DR

This paper analyzes Lotka-Volterra models for ecological competition, exploring stability, species clustering, and the effects of different competition coefficients in complex ecosystems.

Contribution

It extends stability analysis to non-homogeneous niches and provides analytical solutions for species clustering in competitive systems.

Findings

Stability conditions for coexistence in non-homogeneous niches

Analytical solutions for species clustering

Impact of varied competition coefficients on dynamics

Abstract

We present properties of Lotka-Volterra equations describing ecological competition among a large number of competing species. First we extend to the case of a non-homogeneous niche space stability conditions for solutions representing species coexistence. Second, we discuss mechanisms leading to species clustering and obtain an analytical solution for a lumped state in a specific instance of the system. We also discuss how realistic ecological interactions may result in different types of competition coefficients.