Abstract
Mutualistic and antagonistic interactions coexist in nature. However, little is understood about their relative roles and interactive effects on multispecies coexistence. Here, using a three-species population dynamics model of a resource species, its exploiter, and a mutualist species, we show that a mixture of different interaction types may lead to dynamics that differ completely from those of the isolated interacting pairs. More specifically, a combination of globally stable antagonistic and mutualistic subsystems can lead to unstable population oscillations, suggesting the potential difficulty in the coexistence of antagonism and mutualism. Mutualism-induced instability arises from the indirect positive effect of mutualism on the exploiter. Furthermore, for a three-species system with a stronger mutualistic interaction to persist stably, a weaker antagonistic interaction is required. Network studies of communities composed of one type of interaction may not capture the dynamics of natural communities.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 257-263 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Population Ecology |
Volume | 56 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2014 Apr |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Mathematical model
- Mutualism
- Population cycle
- Predator-prey
- Stability
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics