A three population Lotka-Volterra competition model with two populations interacting through an interface

TL;DR

This paper introduces a three-species Lotka-Volterra competition model where two species interact only through a geographical interface, revealing complex behaviors influenced by habitat structure and parameters.

Contribution

It extends classical models by incorporating an interface interaction, demonstrating new dynamics and behaviors in multi-species competition with spatial heterogeneity.

Findings

Rich and diverse species behaviors depending on parameters

Interface interaction significantly alters competition outcomes

New dynamical regimes not seen in classical models

Abstract

In this work we consider three species competing with each other in the same habitat. One of the species lives in the entire habitat, competing with the other two species, while the other two inhabit two disjoint regions of the habitat. These two populations just interact on a region/interface which acts as a geographical barrier. This barrier condition causes a drastic change in species behaviour compared to the classical Lotka-Volterra competitive model, showing very rich and new different situations depending on the several parameters involved in the system.