Coexistence
- Publication Type:
- Chapter
- Citation:
- Encyclopedia of Ecology, Five-Volume Set, 2008, pp. 664 - 668
- Issue Date:
- 2008-01-01
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| Filename | Description | Size | |||
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 | 2008002763OK.pdf | 1.22 MB |
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© 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Despite theoretical arguments regarding the difficulties of similar species coexisting, many habitats support large numbers of species and populations in high densities. In this article, we discuss the mechanisms by which populations and species coexist. Most of the types of interactions between species and individuals, including predation and competition, have the potential to promote or reduce coexistence. For instance, strongly asymmetrical competition may cause one species to go extinct, but competitive networks may promote coexistence of three or more species. Explanations for coexistence of huge numbers of species on coral reefs or rainforests have expanded from niche diversification hypotheses to, more recently, disturbance-mediated regimes and random recruitment from larval assemblages. Life-history tradeoffs and resting stages such as seed banks in plants can also promote coexistence, and neutral models that assume that the above forces are not important can also lead to a level of coexistence.
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