Modeling cooperation and competition in biological communities

TL;DR

This paper introduces a simple deterministic model that captures how cooperation and competition influence the dynamics and structure of biological communities, reflecting real ecological phenomena.

Contribution

It presents a novel model integrating facilitation and competition, revealing complex dynamics and ecological phenomena like succession and species coexistence.

Findings

Model reproduces plant succession dynamics

Highlights importance of facilitation in species survival

Shows context-dependent community formation

Abstract

The far-reaching consequences of ecological interactions in the dynamics of biological communities remain an intriguing subject. For decades, competition has been a cornerstone in ecological processes, but mounting evidence shows that cooperation does also contribute to the structure of biological communities. Here, we propose a simple deterministic model for the study of the effects of facilitation and competition in the dynamics of such systems. The simultaneous inclusion of both effects produces rich dynamics and captures the context-dependence observed in the formation of ecological communities. The approach reproduces relevant aspects of primary and secondary plant succession, the effect invasive species, and the survival of rare species. The model also takes into account the role of the ecological priority effect and stress the crucial role of facilitation in conservation efforts and species coexistence.