The interplay of tradeoffs within the framework of a resource-based modelling

Tradeoffs are supposed to play a key role in driving the maintenance and the generation of biodiversity. Although an extensive literature exists on the effect of single tradeoffs, the interplay of simultaneous tradeoffs is not well studied, especially from an ecological point of view. We propose an adaptive resource-based model with tradeoffs at the level of resource acquisition and processing, which allows us to assess the level of specialization of populations and how it depends on tradeoff characteristics and environmental conditions. Furthermore, we analyze the effect of structuring on such measurements. For such purpose, the results of the spatial model are compared to those from the well-mixed counterpart as well as to the case in which the influence kin selection is mitigated. Among our findings, we observe that the existence of multiple tradeoffs drives the individuals to higher efficiencies in the process of conversion of resource into energy. Additionally, the results demonstrate that structuring leads to more specialization in almost every scenario surveyed.