Work

The role of nestedness and saturating feedback in bipartite ecological systems

Year: 2026

Type: preprint

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.

Source: arXiv (Cornell University)

DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2607.24328

Authors: Patil, Nirbhay, Altieri, Ada

Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris Cité, Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes

Language: English

Topic: Mathematical and Theoretical Epidemiology and Ecology Models

Subfield: Applied Mathematics

Field: Mathematics

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Science Foundation, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara

Awards: G3398237449, G4689434848, G5020422105, G6183060058, Statistical physics of disordered systems to catch biodiversity, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics

OpenAlex ID: W7171525021

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