Analysis of an ecological niche (Q581302)

A model of an ecological niche for different populations of organisms with competition among them is considered using the concepts of food web and niche overlap graph. The descriptive situation is given analytically by means of a strategy game in normal form where the players involved are the respective populations as separate entities. The total competition is given by means of the payoff functions, and the strategy sets by introducing the concept of weighted food web matrix. A concept of solution modified for competitive normal games is used: the nucleolar solution. A real food web is also described, and the different concepts and results are applied.