Spatial neutral dynamics

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new analytical technique for studying spatial neutral models in ecology and genetics, providing insights into biodiversity and species distribution across different spatial dimensions.

Contribution

It develops a novel interface dynamics method to analyze spatial neutral models, extending results to one, two, and three dimensions, and compares predictions with empirical data.

Findings

Derived new expressions for correlation length in spatial models

Quantified biodiversity and species abundance distribution

Validated results with extensive numerical simulations

Abstract

Neutral models, in which individual agents with equal fitness undergo a birth-death-mutation process, are very popular in population genetics and community ecology. Usually these models are applied to populations and communities with spatial structure, but the analytic results presented so far are limited to well-mixed or mainland-island scenarios. Here we present a new technique, based on interface dynamics analysis, and apply it to the neutral dynamics in one, two and three spatial dimensions. New results are derived for the correlation length and for the main characteristics of the community, like total biodiversity and the species abundance distribution above the correlation length. Our results are supported by extensive numerical simulations, and provide qualitative and quantitative insights that allow for a rigorous comparison between model predictions and empirical data.