Numerical Study of Interaction Network Structures in Competitive Ecosystems

TL;DR

This paper numerically investigates how local community interaction networks in ecosystems form complex structures like nested and hyperuniform patterns, influenced by interaction symmetry, through weak migration from a regional species pool.

Contribution

It reveals the nontrivial architectures of interaction networks in local ecosystems, highlighting the effects of interaction symmetry on network structure.

Findings

Nested structure in symmetric interactions

Hyperuniform structure in asymmetric communities

Interaction networks form through weak migration

Abstract

We present a numerical analysis of local community assembly through weak migration from a regional species pool. At equilibrium, the local community consists of a subset ("clique") of species from the regional community. Our analysis reveals that the interaction networks of these cliques exhibit nontrivial architectures. Specifically, we demonstrate the pronounced nested structure of the clique interaction matrix in the case of symmetric interactions and the hyperuniform structure seen in asymmetric communities.