Dynamics of seagrass meadows with two species

We study the interaction between two different seagrass species from a macroscopic point of view. In this framework, the changes in the species' density are described by a system of two coupled partial differential equations for the density of each species. These equations describe the clonal reproduction of the plants and are coupled by the mortality term to describe interactions between different species. The interspecific interaction has been considered local and nonlinear, allowing low-density facilitation and large-density saturation. The proposed model has shown several scenarios such as mixed and monospecies homogeneous solutions, traveling waves, and spatio-temporal turbulence. Furthermore, the transition between these different solutions depends on abiotic factors, such as temperature increase. The transition between scenarios can, therefore, be used as an indicator of the degradation of the ecosystem. In particular, some behaviors indicate the approach to a tipping point, linked with a sudden and irreversible loss of the meadow.

[1] https://arxiv.org/abs/2304.09693

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