Coexistence and bistability of a competition model with mixed dispersal strategy

In this paper, we investigate a Lotka–Volterra competition model with Danckwerts boundary conditions in a one-dimensional habitat where one species assumes pure random diffusion while another one undergoes mixed movement (both random and directed movements). We focus on the joint influence of advection rate, intrinsic growth rate and interspecific competition coefficient on the competition outcomes. It turns out that there exist some critical curves which separate the stable region of the semitrivial steady states from the unstable one. The locations of these curves determine whether coexistence or bistability occurs. More precisely, there are various tradeoffs between advection rate, intrinsic growth rate and interspecific competition coefficient that allow the transition of competition outcomes including competition exclusion, coexistence and bistability. We illustrate our results in various parameter spaces.     

Dynamics and steady-state analysis of an unstirred chemostat model with internal storage and toxin mortality

This study proposes and analyzes a reaction–diffusion system describing the competition of two species for a single limiting nutrient that is stored internally in an unstirred chemostat, in which each species also produces a toxin that increases the mortality of its competitors. The possibility of coexistence and bistability for the model system is studied by the theory of uniform persistence and topological degree theory in cones, respectively. More precisely, the sharp a priori estimates for nonnegative solutions of the system are first established, which assure that all of nonnegative solutions belong to a special cone. Then it turns out that coexistence and bistability can be determined by the sign of the principal eigenvalues associated with specific nonlinear eigenvalue problems in the special positive cones. The local stability of two semi-trivial steady states cannot be studied via the technique of linearization since a singularity arises from the linearization around those steady states. Instead, we introduce a 1-homogeneous operator to rigorously investigate their local stability.     

Observability of coexisting phases of clusters

That two or more phases of small clusters can coexist in thermodynamic equilibrium over ranges of temperature and pressure has become well established. Moreover the explanation for this apparent violation of the Gibbs phase rule is also now well known. The origin of the phenomenon lies entirely with the difference between systems of small numbers of component atoms or molecules and those made of large numbers, e.g., tens, vs. 10²⁰. However little has been said about the maximum sizes of clusters for which such coexistence may be expected to be observable. Here we show how one can estimate that maximum size for observable coexisting phases, in which the unfavored minority phase constitutes a detectable fraction of the total sample. In addition, the role of atom thermal motion in the phase transition is analyzed.     

The diffusive Lotka–Volterra competition model in fragmented patches I: Coexistence

It is an ecological imperative that we understand how changes in landscape heterogeneity affect population dynamics and coexistence among species residing in increasingly fragmented landscapes. Decades of research have shown the dispersal process to have major implications for individual fitness, species’ distributions, interactions with other species, population dynamics, and stability. Although theoretical models have played a crucial role in predicting population level effects of dispersal, these models have largely ignored the conditional dependency of dispersal (e.g., responses to patch boundaries, matrix hostility, competitors, and predators). This work is the first in a series where we explore dynamics of the diffusive Lotka–Volterra (L–V) competition model in such a fragmented landscape. This model has been extensively studied in isolated patches, and to a lesser extent, in patches surrounded by an immediately hostile matrix. However, little attention has been focused on studying the model in a more realistic setting considering organismal behavior at the patch/matrix interface. Here, we provide a mechanistic connection between the model and its biological underpinnings and study its dynamics via exploration of nonexistence, existence, and uniqueness of the model’s steady states. We employ several tools from nonlinear analysis, including sub-supersolutions, certain eigenvalue problems, and a numerical shooting method. In the case of weak, neutral, and strong competition, our results mostly match those of the isolated patch or immediately hostile matrix cases. However, in the case where competition is weak towards one species and strong towards the other, we find existence of a maximum patch size, and thus an intermediate range of patch sizes where coexistence is possible, in a patch surrounded by an intermediate hostile matrix when the weaker competitor has a dispersal advantage. These results support what ecologists have long theorized, i.e., a key mechanism promoting coexistence among competing species is a tradeoff between dispersal and competitive ability.     

Structure of nuclei in the regionA = 70

The structure of the selenium nuclei in the regionA = 70 is studied using our deformed configuration mixing (DCM) shell model based on Hartree-Fock states. An effective interaction given by Kuo and modified by Bhatt is used. An attempt is made to understand the coexistence of shapes in selenium nuclei.     

Dynamical behaviors of a classical Lotka–Volterra competition–diffusion–advection system

This paper deals with a two-species competition model in a homogeneous advective environment, where two species are subjected to a net loss of individuals at the downstream end. Under the assumption that the advection and diffusion rates of two species are proportional, we give a basic classification on the global dynamics by employing the theory of monotone dynamical system. It turns out that bistability does not happen, but coexistence and competitive exclusion may occur. Furthermore, we present a complete classification on the global dynamics in terms of the growth rates of two species. However, once the above assumption does not hold, bistability may occur. In detail, there exists a tradeoff between growth rates of two species such that competition outcomes can shift between three possible scenarios, including competitive exclusion, bistability and coexistence. These results show that growth competence is important to determine dynamical behaviors.     

Competition of three species in an advective environment

Individuals in advective environments, for example rivers, coastlines, or the gut, are subject to movement with directional bias. We study how this movement bias shapes community composition by considering how the strength of movement bias affects the outcome of competition among three species. Our model is a system of three reaction-advection-diffusion equations with Danckwerts boundary conditions. Our key tool in this study is to use the dominant eigenvalue of the diffusion-advection operator in order to reduce the spatially explicit model to a spatially implicit ordinary differential equation model. After an in-depth analysis of the implicit model, we use numerical simulations of the explicit model to test the predictions obtained from the analysis. In general, we find a good qualitative agreement between the explicit and the implicit model. We find that varying the strength of advection can fundamentally alter the outcome of competition between the three species, and we characterize the possible transitions. In particular, water extraction and flow control can destabilize existing species communities or facilitate invasions of non-native species.     

Evolutionary consequences of harvesting for a two-zooplankton one-phytoplankton system

Considering the impact of harvesting on the coexistence and competitive exclusion of competitive predators, a two-zooplankton one-phytoplankton model with harvesting is proposed and investigated. First, stability criteria of the model is analyzed both from local and global point of view. Second, two types of zooplankton will competitively exclude each other in the absence of harvesting with the zooplankton with the larger threshold persisting. If harvest rates are discriminate, then a dominant zooplankton may occur depending on the harvesting level. Thus, for some harvesting levels, the zooplankton one may persist while for other harvesting levels zooplankton two may persist. Furthermore, the value of the harvesting level and coexistence line are obtained when coexistence occur. Finally, the impact of harvesting is mentioned along with numerical results to provide some support to the analytical findings.     

Coexistence states of a Holling type-II predator-prey system

This paper characterize the existence of coexistence states to a reaction-diffusion predator-prey model with Holling type-II functional response subject to Dirichlet boundary conditions. We find the necessary and sufficient conditions for existence of coexistence states by fixed point index theory and bifurcation theory.