Modulating biodiversity through higher-order interactions and intraspecific competition in rock–paper–scissors dynamics

Understanding the mechanisms that govern species coexistence and biodiversity represents a fundamental challenge in ecology. This study extends the classic rock–paper–scissors model by introducing a context-dependent higher-order interaction mechanism where intraspecific competition is dynamically regulated by local resource availability. Crucially, our quantitative analysis reveals that higher-order interactions significantly modulate the system’s structural organization: Enhanced strength of higher-order interactions leads to a decrease in spatial wavelength, resulting in the formation of more compact species domains. However, this structural change makes the system more sensitive to mobility, shifting the extinction threshold to lower values. These findings highlight the dual role of resource-mediated higher-order regulation: it promotes local pattern formation but alters the system’s resilience to dispersal, providing new theoretical perspectives for biodiversity conservation.