Coexistence of Competitive Species on Lattice under Periodical Disturbance : Crucial Effects of Local Interaction

Disturbances to an ecosystem usually decrease the population size of a species, but promote the coexistence of multiple species. Here we present lattice ecosystems composed of two competing species, where disturbance is applied periodically. Simulations are carried out by determining whether the interaction is global or local. The global interaction corresponds to Huston's model. We prove that the coexistence is impossible for the global interaction but possible for local interaction. We thus illustrate that the local interaction promotes species coexistence.