Evolutionary Dispersal of Species with Starvation-Driven Diffusion Incorporating Perceptual Constraints in Competition Models in Heterogeneous Habitats.

Abstract

This study examines a competition model featuring nonuniform dispersal, referred to as starvation-driven-type diffusion (SDTD). This model incorporates the motility of species that adhere to a starvation-driven diffusion (SDTD). paradigm while also factoring in perceptual constraints within a spatially heterogeneous region. In the proposed model, our study aims to understand the impact of SDTD on system dynamics in a spatially heterogeneous environment. To achieve this, we consider a Lotka-Volterra-type competition model exhibiting identical population dynamics under no-flux boundary conditions. To illuminate the evolutionary implications of SDTD, this study contrasts two different models. The first model involves two species with distinct, uniform diffusion rates. In comparison, the second model features one species that adheres to a constant diffusion rate and another that operates under the principles of SDTD. This study focuses on analyzing the fitness variation of competing species based on their respective diffusion dynamics: (i) The study examines how the fitness of a species following SDTD changes compared to another species that diffuses at a constant rate. (ii) We investigate the dynamics of fitness alteration within a competitive two-species model wherein one species exhibits a constant diffusion rate while the other species alternates between constant-rate diffusion and SDTD. In addition, we examine how the shifting diffusion strategies of one species affect its fitness relative to a species with a fixed, constant diffusion rate. Our conclusions suggest that a species adhering to SDTD may enhance its fitness, consistent with the model incorporating SDD. Nonetheless, we show that certain circumstances may exist where SDTD does not result in increased fitness for a species, mainly due to the perceptual limitations of that species.