Species coexistence: macroevolutionary relationships and the contingency of historical interactions.

ABSTRACT: Evolutionary biologists since Darwin have hypothesized that closely related species compete more intensely and are therefore less likely to coexist. However, recent theory posits that species diverge in two ways: either through the evolution of 'stabilizing differences' that promote coexistence by causing individuals to compete more strongly with conspecifics than individuals of other species, or through the evolution of 'fitness differences' that cause species to differ in competitive ability and lead to exclusion of the weaker competitor. We tested macroevolutionary patterns of divergence by competing pairs of annual plant species that differ in their phylogenetic relationships, and in whether they have historically occurred in the same region or different regions (sympatric versus allop

SUBMITTER: Germain RM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4822464 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature