Spatial price equilibrium and food webs: The economics of predator-prey networks

In this paper, we prove that the equilibrium of predator-prey networks is, in fact, a spatial price equilibrium. This result demonstrates the underlying economics of predator-prey relationships and interactions and provides a foundation for the formulation and analysis of complex food webs, which are nature's supply chains, through the formalism of network equilibrium. Moreover, it rigorously links the equilibrium conditions of commodity networks in which a product is produced, transported, and consumed, with those of ecological networks in which prey are consumed by predators.