Intraspecific higher order interactions enhance ecological community stability.

ABSTRACT: Ecosystem stability is influenced by interspecific interactions, with recent research focusing on how third-party species modify these interactions. However, the impact of "intraspecific higher-order interactions," where the presence of one species affects intraspecific interactions within another species, on ecosystem stability has been less explored. This study addresses this gap by developing a mathematical model to investigate how such interactions influence stability. The analysis shows that when higher-order interactions increase intraspecific competition within another species, stability improves, especially in large, complex ecosystems. However, this effect is not observed if the interactions solely increase or decrease competition without a mixture of both. These findings highligh

SUBMITTER: Mougi A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12358509 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature