PreprintCC BY 4.0HAL
The role of nestedness and saturating feedback in bipartite ecological systems
Abstract
Large ecosystems balance competition and cooperation, yet standard generalized Lotka--Volterra models make mutualism destabilizing by amplifying disorder and driving unbounded growth. We show that Monod-like saturation resolves this paradox: dynamical mean-field theory and random-matrix analysis reveal a broader stable phase and enhanced survival. Network architecture provides a second control mechanism, but nestedness offers no intrinsic stability advantage. Instead, it is a byproduct of degree distributions with high connectivity necessary for stability.
Related
- Ecological Mechanisms Underlying the Effects of Forest–Medicinal Plant Agroforestry Systems on Soil Quality and the Understory Environment
- Bioeconomic analysis of ecological intensification innovations in agropastoral systems in western Burkina Faso
- Synergistic Effects of Behavioral Feedback and Seasonality Generate Chaos in Cooperative Multi-Pathogen Systems
- Wildlife depredation stabilizes ecological-economic systems and can lead to improved economic outcomes
- Microbial Inoculants for Climate-Resilient Food Systems: Ecological Limits, Context Dependency, and Evidence Gaps
BibTeX
@misc{patil2026role,
title = {{The role of nestedness and saturating feedback in bipartite ecological systems}},
author = {Nirbhay Patil and Ada Altieri},
howpublished = {HAL},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2607.24328},
eprint = {2607.24328},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05750834v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - The role of nestedness and saturating feedback in bipartite ecological systems
AU - Nirbhay Patil
AU - Ada Altieri
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/14
PB - HAL
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2607.24328
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05750834v1
AB - Large ecosystems balance competition and cooperation, yet standard generalized Lotka--Volterra models make mutualism destabilizing by amplifying disorder and driving unbounded growth. We show that Monod-like saturation resolves this paradox: dynamical mean-field theory and random-matrix analysis reveal a broader stable phase and enhanced survival. Network architecture provides a second control mechanism, but nestedness offers no intrinsic stability advantage. Instead, it is a byproduct of degree distributions with high connectivity necessary for stability.
ER -