On predicting species yields in multispecies communities: Quantifying the accuracy of the linear Lotka-Volterra generalized model

However, in many natural communities, e.g. tropical forests or plankton, S can be of the order of hundreds and estimating all the model parameters from empirical data is unfeasible. But, by estimating the mean interaction coefficient from the yields of an incomplete set of monoculture and biculture experiments, the LGLVE still can make accurate predictions. Firstly, it is possible to derive simple formulas which are able to predict the relative yield total and mean relative yield. Secondly, when we are interested in the fate or performance of a particular species, we can use a more refined approximation to predict the yield of this focal species with accuracy comparable to the one obtained when using the full set of LGLVE.