ENABLING STABLE COEXISTENCE BY MODIFYING THE ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

In this work coexistence is studied using a model based on two classical population models: the quasispecies of Eigen [1] and the daisyworld presented by Watson and Lovelock [2]. It is assumed that species are able to modify the environment. We show that this ability enables the coexistence between, at most, two species in equilibrium. Given an initial population, the problem arises as to determine which of the many equilibrium populations, i.e. extinction, only one species or coexistence of two species, will be reached as a function of the species characteristics, specifically their capacity to modify the environment and the optimal growth rate. These results are obtained under general assumptions, which broadens its applicability to other fields as evolutionary biology and social sciences.