A framework for analyzing ecological trait-based models in multi-dimensional niche spaces

摘要

We develop an theoretical approach for predicting biodiversity inmulti-dimensional niche spaces, arising due to ecological drivers such ascompetitive exclusion. The novelty of our approach relies on the fact thatecological niches are described by sequences of strings, which allows us todescribe multiple traits. We define the mathematical framework for analyzingpattern forming instabilities in these models, showing surprisingly that theanalytic linear theory predicts the asymptotically long time populationdistributions of niches in the model. We propose a test for identifyingecological drivers in biodiversity distributions, based on representingecosystem data by means of a certain transform introduced in the theory.