Premium
Coevolutionary dynamics of adaptive radiation for food‐web development
Author(s) -
Ito Hiroshi C.,
Shimada Masakazu,
Ikegami Takashi
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
population ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1438-390X
pISSN - 1438-3896
DOI - 10.1007/s10144-008-0113-5
Subject(s) - predation , biology , predator , trait , phenotype , evolutionary dynamics , ecology , competitive exclusion , food web , food chain , diversification (marketing strategy) , evolutionary biology , competition (biology) , gene , genetics , population , demography , marketing , sociology , computer science , business , programming language
To investigate how complex food‐webs can develop through repeated evolutionary diversification, a predator–prey model was analyzed. In the model, each individual has two traits: trait x as a predator and trait y as a prey. These traits constitute a two‐dimensional phenotype space, in which the whole group of individuals are represented as a phenotype distribution. Predator–prey interactions among the phenotypes are determined by their relative positions in the phenotype space. Each phenotypic cluster was treated as a species. Each species evolves in y to escape from predation, while it evolves in x to chase their prey. Analytical investigation provided two predictions. First, coupled evolutionary diversifications of y and x may occur when the x of predators have caught up with their prey's y , which may be repeated. Second, complex food‐webs may develop when species’ competitive strengths are kept similar within the communities. If the functional response is close to the ratio‐dependent response, the competitive strengths of all species are similar when the relationship between predators and prey corresponds to the ideal free distribution (IFD). These predictions were confirmed by numerical simulations.