Life-stage niche partitioning and functional strategies promote predatory coccinellids' co-occurrence.

ABSTRACT: Species coexistence is shaped by how individuals share limiting resources such as space, food, and shelter. Theory predicts that niche differentiation promotes coexistence, depending on habitat characteristics, behavioral traits, and the intensity of competition. Niche use may vary across life stages, as ontogenetic shifts alter habitat use and species interactions. We investigated habitat segregation, niche overlap, and the role of non-crop vegetation in affecting coccinellid coexistence across life stages through semi-controlled experiments and field sampling at 42 sites. Species showed consistent differences in habitat and microhabitat use across developmental stages, influenced by innate behaviors and plastic responses to interspecific interactions. Superior competitors (Hippodamia con

SUBMITTER: da Silva AC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12858511 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature