Nest site availability and niche differentiation between two cavity-nesting birds in time and space.

ABSTRACT: Niche differentiation is a key concept in the field of ecology and refers to the process by which competing species within an ecological community partition utilization of environmental resources to achieve coexistence. The existence of niche differentiation is uniquely difficult to prove on account of the fact that historical interaction among species, which plays a key role in elucidating the current state of coexistence among species, is not well known. We created continuous niche gradients in nest-site resources between two sympatric secondary cavity-nesting birds, the green-backed tit (Parus monticolus) and the russet sparrow (Passer cinnamomeus), and investigated whether nesting site is a factor contributing to limiting breeding overlap by regular inspection and 388,160

SUBMITTER: Ye P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6822027 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature