Heterogeneity in connectivity of habitat networks saves stable coexistence of competing species

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that heterogeneity in the connectivity of habitat networks promotes stable coexistence of competing species, highlighting the importance of network structure in ecological stability.

Contribution

The study provides analytical and numerical evidence that degree heterogeneity in networks enhances stable coexistence of cyclically competing species.

Findings

Heterogeneous networks promote species coexistence.

Degree heterogeneity stabilizes species dynamics.

Network structure influences ecological stability.

Abstract

Coexistence of individuals with different species or phenotypes is often found in nature in spite of competition between them. Stable coexistence of multiple types of individuals have implications for maintenance of ecological biodiversity and emergence of altruism in society, to name a few. Various mechanisms of coexistence including spatial structure of populations, heterogeneous individuals, and heterogeneous environments, have been proposed. In reality, individuals disperse and interact on complex networks. We examine how heterogeneous degree distributions of networks influence coexistence, focusing on models of cyclically competing species. We show analytically and numerically that heterogeneity in degree distributions promotes stable coexistence.