Axiomatic-deductive theory of competition of complete competitors: coexistence, exclusion and neutrality in one model

Background The long-standing contradiction between formulations of the competitive exclusion principle and natural diversity of trophically similar species is known as the biodiversity paradox. Earlier we found that coexistence of complete competitors is possible despite 100% difference in competitiveness, but only under certain conditions – at their moderate propagation and at the particular initial location of individuals. Here we verify a hypothesis that completely competing species with aggressive propagation may coexist with less than 100% difference in competitiveness regardless of random initial location of competing individuals in ecosystem. Methods We investigate a role of competitiveness differences in coexistence of two completely competing species by individual-based modeling based on a transparent artificial intelligence. We propose and investigate an individual-based model of ecosystem dynamics supplemented by a probabilistic determination of the competitiveness of competing individuals without cooperative effects and with cooperative effects based on the numerical superiority of individuals of the species. Results We have found that two aggressively propagating complete competitors can stably coexist, despite one species has some advantage in competitiveness over the other and all other characteristics of the species are equal. The found competitive coexistence occurred regardless of the initial random location of individuals in the ecosystem. When colonization of a free habitat started from a single individual of each species, then the complete competitors coexisted up to 31% of their difference in competitiveness. And when on initial stage half of the territory was probabilistically occupied, the complete competitors coexisted up to 22% of their difference in competitiveness. In the experiments with cooperative dependence on the numerical superiority of individuals of the species complete competitors stably co-existed despite 10% difference in basic competitiveness. Discussion The results additionally support our earlier reformulation of the competitive exclusion principle. Besides that, we revealed classical cases of competitive exclusion and “neutrality”. Our approach unifies models of competitive exclusion (“niche”), neutrality and coexistence of complete competitors in one theory. Our individual-based modeling of a complex system based on a transparent artificial intelligence opens up great prospects for a variety of theoretical and applied fields.