Author response image 1. Exploring additional prediction models including weakest effect and dominant effect.

(A) Correlation between four different models for how single species effects combine into pair effects and the experimental data, with their respective normalized root mean squared error. As previously described, the additive model assumes that the effects of each species will accumulate. The strongest effect model assumes that whichever species had a stronger effect on its own will determine the joint effect when paired with an additional species. By contrast The weakest effect model assumes that whichever species had a weaker effect on its own will determine the joint effect when paired with an additional species. The dominant model uses whichever single species effect is closer to the combined effect as it's prediction. (B) The accuracy of each model as a function of the difference between the sizes of effect of each individual species within the pair (similar to Figure 3C from main text).