Abstract
How the coexistence of many species is maintained is a fundamental and unresolved question in ecology. Coexistence is a puzzle because we lack a mechanistic understanding of the variation in species presence and abundance. Whether variation in ecological communities is driven by deterministic or random processes is one of the most controversial issues in ecology. Here, I study the variation of species presence and abundance in microbial communities from a macroecological standpoint. I identify three macroecological laws that quantitatively characterize the fluctuation of species abundance across communities and over time. Using these three laws, one can predict species’ presence and absence, diversity, and commonly studied macroecological patterns. I show that a mathematical model based on environmental stochasticity, the stochastic logistic model, quantitatively predicts the three macroecological laws, as well as non-stationary properties of community dynamics.
Highlights
How the coexistence of many species is maintained is a fundamental and unresolved question in ecology
Environmental modification can lead to ecological suicide when one species, in the absence of other ones, modify pH to such a degree that lead to extinction of the whole population[14]
These growing body of fundamental results in microbial ecology are made possible by the simplified nature of the experimental communities, which typically consist of an handful of interacting species
Summary
How the coexistence of many species is maintained is a fundamental and unresolved question in ecology. I identify three macroecological laws that quantitatively characterize the fluctuation of species abundance across communities and over time Using these three laws, one can predict species’ presence and absence, diversity, and commonly studied macroecological patterns. Environmental modification can lead to ecological suicide when one species, in the absence of other ones, modify pH to such a degree that lead to extinction of the whole population[14] These growing body of fundamental results in microbial ecology are made possible by the simplified nature of the experimental communities, which typically consist of an handful of interacting species. Environmental fluctuations, competition, cross-feeding, environmental modification, demographic stochasticity, migration, and many other ecological forces shape microbial communities over time and space. The existence of such forces is not in doubt. Macroecology, the study of ecological communities through patterns of abundance, diversity, and distribution[15], is a promising approach to study quantitatively variation in microbial communities[16,17,18], and to provide quantification of mechanisms that are shaping them
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
