figsimR: An R Package for Simulating Fig–wasp Community Dynamics

1. Fig-fig wasp systems represent a widely applicable but underutilized framework for community assembly research, yet their multi-trophic structure and species interactions substantially increase the complexity of community simulation.2. We present figsimR, an open-source, modular R package that implements fig wasp community simulation via a single high-level function, simulate_figwasp_community(), with controllable mechanisms and reproducible workflows. The calculations of standard α/β-diversity and network metrics also integrated into this package, thereby allowing outputs to support downstream comparison.3. We demonstrate a typical workflow—parameter setup, simulation, and metric calculation—on fig wasp communities associated with Ficus racemosa using an agent-based model that integrates documented biological traits and available data for this system. We also show how the package can be used to assess a baseline model’s goodness-of-fit and to dissect the asymmetric contributions of individual processes using the built-in “mechanism knockout” framework (allowing to quantify the contribution for each mechanism in community assembly)., including both mean fit and variance coverage as joint diagnostics, revealing mean–variance trade-offs across mechanisms (e.g., ovule-layer stratification and host sanctions).4. figsimR reduces the difficulty of conducting process-based analyses in fig wasp communities research. Its modular design makes it straightforward to extend to other fig-fig wasp systems. The source code, documentation, and examples are openly accessible.