Abstract
A colonization model provides a useful basis to investigate a role of interspecific competition in species diversity. The model formulates colonization processes of propagules competing for spatially distinct habitats, which is known to result in stable coexistence of multiple species under various trade‐off, for example, competition–colonization and fecundity–mortality trade‐offs. Based on this model, we propose a new theory to explain patterns of species abundance, assuming a trade‐off between competitive ability and fecundity among species. This model makes testable predictions about species positions in the rank abundance diagram under a discrete species competitiveness. The predictions were tested by three data of animal communities, which supported our model, suggesting the importance of interspecific competition in community structure. Our approach provides a new insight into understanding a mechanism of species diversity.
Highlights
Species abundance distribution (SAD) is an important ecological concept because it characterizes the properties of species diversity within communities
Another type of SAD plot proposed by Motomura (1932) is the rank abundance diagram (RAD), in which log abundance is plotted against the abundance rank of species
The analyses revealed that colonization processes can promote the coexistence with various trade-offs between species properties
Summary
Species abundance distribution (SAD) is an important ecological concept because it characterizes the properties of species diversity within communities. The analytical solutions in continuous competitiveness represent continuously smooth distributions, suggesting that an infinite number of species can occur within a given range of competitive ability, which is consistent with a previous study for a linear trade- off (Kinzig et al, 1999).
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have