Ecological theory of mutualism: Robust patterns of stability and thresholds in two-species population models.

ABSTRACT: Mutualisms are ubiquitous in nature, provide important ecosystem services, and involve many species of interest for conservation. Theoretical progress on the population dynamics of mutualistic interactions, however, comparatively lagged behind that of trophic and competitive interactions, leading to the impression that ecologists still lack a generalized framework to investigate the population dynamics of mutualisms. Yet, over the last 90 years, abundant theoretical work has accumulated, ranging from abstract to detailed. Here, we review and synthesize historical models of two-species mutualisms. We find that population dynamics of mutualisms are qualitatively robust across derivations, including levels of detail, types of benefit, and inspiring systems. Specifically, mutualisms tend to ex

SUBMITTER: Hale KRS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8717353 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature