Emergent Patterns from Predator-Prey Taxis Promote Diversity
Giulia Lorenzana (University of Chicago)
Many organisms have the ability to move in response to external stimuli. We study the effect of inter-specific taxis on the organization and diversity of complex ecosystems. We show that random predator-prey taxis can destabilize a homogeneous state and lead to the formation of dynamical patterns even when ecological interactions are weak. For stronger ecological interactions, this self-generated spatial heterogeneity permits the coexistence of a number of species well beyond what would be possible in a homogeneous state, but only if species move “rationally”. In this diverse patterned state, clusters of high density and low diversity, composed of a fixed clique of species, form and coalesce.