Mobility unevenness in rock-paper-scissors models

We investigate a tritrophic system whose cyclic dominance is modelled by the rock-paper-scissors game. We consider that organisms of one or two species are affected by movement limitations, which unbalances the cyclic spatial game. Performing stochastic simulations, we show that mobility unevenness controls the population dynamics. In the case of one slow species, the predominant species depends on the level of mobility restriction, with the slow species being preponderant if the mobility limitations are substantial. If two species face mobility limitations, our outcomes show that being higher dispersive does not constitute an advantage in terms of population growth. On the contrary, if organisms move with higher mobility, they expose themselves to enemies more frequently, being more vulnerable to being eliminated. Finally, our findings show that biodiversity benefits in regions where species are slowed. Biodiversity loss for high mobility organisms, common to cyclic systems, may be avoided with coexistence probability being higher for robust mobility limitations. Our results may help biologists understand the dynamics of unbalanced spatial systems where organisms' dispersal is fundamental to biodiversity conservation.

Automated summary

We studied a tritrophic system using the rock-paper-scissors game, where movement limitations of one or two species disrupt the cyclic spatial game. Through stochastic simulations, we found that uneven mobility controls the population dynamics. The dominant species depends on the level of mobility restriction when there is one slow species, while higher dispersal does not advantageously contribute to population growth when two species face mobility limitations. High mobility organisms experience biodiversity loss in cyclic systems, but this can be avoided with robust mobility limitations, benefiting biodiversity in regions where species are slowed. Our findings aid biologists in understanding the dynamics of unbalanced spatial systems and the importance of organisms' dispersal for biodiversity conservation.