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arXiv · 2011.08967

Diffusion plays an unusual role in ecological quasi-neutral competition in metapopulations

Marcelo A. Pires·Nuno Crokidakis·Silvio M. Duarte Queirós
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Abstract

We investigate the phenomenology emerging from a 2-species dynamics under the scenario of a quasi-neutral competition within a metapopulation framework. We employ stochastic and deterministic approaches, namely spatially-constrained individual-based Monte Carlo simulations and coupled mean-field ODEs. Our results show the multifold interplay between competition, birth-death dynamics and spatial constraints induces a nonmonotonic relation between the ecological majority-minority switching and the diffusion between patches. This means that diffusion can set off birth-death ratios and enhance the preservation of a species.

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Marcelo A. Pires, Nuno Crokidakis, Silvio M. Duarte Queirós. 2020-11-17. Diffusion plays an unusual role in ecological quasi-neutral competition in metapopulations. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11071-020-06105-4

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