Abstract
Populations of the cellular slime mold Polysphondylium pallidum contain clones that differ in their abilities to use bacterial resources. We found abundant diversity among isolates obtained from plots of several square metres and from single soil cores 1.1 cm in diameter. The variation we were measuring was not due to genetic changes induced by our manipulation. Previously, isolation of different species of cellular slime molds from sample areas, metres to hectares in extent, has prompted studies of mechanisms of species coexistence in the face of assumed competition for bacterial resources. We conclude that competition has not only failed to eliminate different species from the community but has failed to eliminate clonal diversity from within species. Previous explanations of species coexistence need reevaluation.
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