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.