  We investigate the phenomenology emerging from a 2-species dynamics under the
scenario of a quasi-neutral competition within a metapopulation framework. We
employ stochastic and deterministic approaches, namely spatially-constrained
individual-based Monte Carlo simulations and coupled mean-field ODEs. Our
results show the multifold interplay between competition, birth-death dynamics
and spatial constraints induces a nonmonotonic relation between the ecological
majority-minority switching and the diffusion between patches. This means that
diffusion can set off birth-death ratios and enhance the preservation of a
species.
