Stabilization of extensive fine-scale diversity by ecologically driven spatiotemporal chaos.

ABSTRACT: It has recently become apparent that the diversity of microbial life extends far below the species level to the finest scales of genetic differences. Remarkably, extensive fine-scale diversity can coexist spatially. How is this diversity stable on long timescales, despite selective or ecological differences and other evolutionary processes? Most work has focused on stable coexistence or assumed ecological neutrality. We present an alternative: extensive diversity maintained by ecologically driven spatiotemporal chaos, with no assumptions about niches or other specialist differences between strains. We study generalized Lotka-Volterra models with antisymmetric correlations in the interactions inspired by multiple pathogen strains infecting multiple host strains. Generally, these exhibit cha

SUBMITTER: Pearce MT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7322069 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature