Cyclic competition of mobile species on continuous space: pattern formation and coexistence

We propose a model for cyclically competing species on continuous space and investigate the effect of the interplay between the interaction range and mobility on coexistence. A transition from coexistence to extinction is uncovered with a strikingly nonmonotonic behavior in the coexistence probability. About the minimum in the probability, switches between spiral and plane-wave patterns arise. A strong mobility can either promote or hamper coexistence, depending on the radius of the interaction range. These phenomena are absent in any lattice-based model, and we demonstrate that they can be explained using nonlinear partial differential equations. Our continuous-space model is more physical and we expect the findings to generate experimental interest.