Competitive dominance constrained by spatial structure: bi-stability in
the case of an ant community in a tropical ecosystem
Abstract
We analyze a system of diffuse competition in an ant community in a
coffee agroecosystem. The community is constrained by space since the
dominant competitor (Azteca sericeasur) has a limited range of influence
within which it excludes other species, but outside that range, the
other species may persist. We use a simple dynamic model in which
variable A, the dominant competitor, competes strongly with variable S,
the collection of all other species in the system, the latter acting as
a strong competitor in the context of diffuse competition. Two
qualitatively distinct outcomes are expected depending on the strength
of competition: 1) a simple monotonic increase in species richness as
distance from the Azteca nest increases, or 2) a range of distance from
the nest in which there is bi-stability, bookended by critical
transitions. Studying five nests in wet and dry seasons over a two-year
period, we find evidence for bi-stability.