Individual-based modeling of direct and indirect competition by the glass-box artificial intelligence

Abstract

The main drawback of traditional ecological models is the inability to model local interactions between individuals. As a consequence, it was impossible to mathematically model individual-based mechanisms of direct and indirect competition, which hampers the understanding of ecological dynamics. To overcome this problem, we developed a fully transparent mechanistic analog of the classical Lotka-Volterra phenomenological model based on explicitly explainable artificial intelligence (AI) of the glass-box type. In this paper, on an individual-based model, we present (i) a rigorous mechanism of inverted competitive exclusion where, all else being equal, the weaker species in direct competition defeats the stronger species through indirect exploitative competition and (ii) a rigorous mechanism of coexistence of complete competitors resulting from a combination of accounting for microhabitat regeneration, moderate reproduction, a certain habitat size and boundary conditions. Both presented mechanisms go beyond the classical formulations of the competitive exclusion principle, as in our model two species with different competitiveness compete for a single limiting resource in one homogeneous bounded ecosystem. We have shown that individual-based modeling of direct and indirect competition mechanisms allows for a more detailed understanding of the causal mechanisms of interspecific competition. Such understanding is necessary to refine formulations of the competitive exclusion principle, to search for mechanisms of competitive coexistence, to predict ecosystem behavior, and to develop conservation strategies. Our approach allows us to study discrete systems with fundamentally discrete mathematics, which opens up new opportunities for achieving accuracy, clarity, rigor, and explainability in studies of complex systems. HighlightsO_LIMechanisms of direct and indirect competition in one individual-based model C_LIO_LIA mechanism of indirect exploitative competition by which a weak competitor wins C_LIO_LIA mechanism of coexistence of complete competitors C_LIO_LICellular automata for the eXplicitly eXplainable AI (XXAI) of the glass-box type C_LIO_LIODD protocol of the model and a source code of the Monte Carlo experiment in C++ C_LI