Self-localized states in species competition

Abstract: We study the conditions under which species interaction, as described by continuous versions of the competitive Lotka-Volterra model (namely the nonlocal Kolmogorov-Fisher model, and its differential approximation), can support the existence of localized states, i.e. patches of species with enhanced population surrounded in niche space by species at smaller densities. These states would arise from species interaction, and not by any preferred niche location or better fitness. In contrast to previous works we include only quadratic nonlinearities, so that the localized patches appear on a background of homogeneously distributed species coexistence, instead than on top of the no-species empty state. For the differential model we find and describe in detail the stable localized states. For the full nonlocal model, however competitive interactions alone do not allow the conditions for the observation of self-localized states, and we show how the inclusion of additional facilitative interactions lead to the appearance of them.