Rock-Paper-Scissor Dynamics and Intransitive Competition link Ecology
and Evolution
Abstract
Rock-paper-scissors (RPS) dynamics have been shown to affect the
evolutionary relationships within populations. These processes are
analogous to the ways in which intransitive competition modifies
ecological outcomes and the co-existence between species within
communities. Here we explore the similarities between rock-paper-scissor
dynamics and intransitive competition and how this link opens new
avenues of research into eco-evolutionary processes. Intransitivity can
drive the stable coexistence of phenotypes within species, as well as
the diversity of species within communities. In addition, the links
between these dynamics highlight possible feedback mechanisms that might
operate across these evolutionary and ecological scales. Using
simulations, we show that greater intraspecific intransitivity within a
population can lead greater levels of intransitivity at the
community-level, with direct implications for community diversity and
stability. As such, RPS dynamics and intransitivity can serve as an
ideal conceptual framework to understand the feedback mechanisms that
drive diversity across evolutionary and ecological scales.