Interplay of structured and random interactions in complex ecosystems dynamics.

ABSTRACT: Minimal models for complex ecosystems often assume random interactions, whose statistics suffice to predict dynamical and macroecological patterns. However, ecological networks commonly possess a variety of properties, such as hierarchies or functional groups, that structure species interactions. Here, we ask how conclusions from random interaction models are altered by the presence of such community-level network structures. We consider a Lotka-Volterra model where pairwise species interactions combine structure and randomness, and study macroscopic community-level observables, abundance distributions and dynamical regimes. Randomness and structure combine in a surprisingly yet deceptively straightforward way: contributions from each component to community patterns are largely independent

SUBMITTER: Giral Martinez J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12755798 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature