Eco-evolutionary dynamics of interference competition

Theorists have identified several mechanisms through which species that compete exploitatively for resources could coexist. By contrast, under the current theory, interference competitors could coexist only in rare circumstances. Yet, some types of interference competition, such as interspecific territoriality, are common. This mismatch between theory and nature inspired us to model interference competition in an eco-evolutionary framework. We based the model on the life cycle of territorial birds and ran simulations to examine whether natural selection could rescue a superior interference competitor from extinction without driving a superior exploitative competitor extinct. We found that coexistence between interference competitors can occur over a wide range of ecologically plausible scenarios, and up to the highest levels of resource overlap. An important caveat is that coexistence requires the species to co-evolve. Reductions in population size and levels of genetic variation could destabilise coexistence between interference competitors, and thereby increase extinction rates over current estimates.

Automated summary

This study establishes an eco-evolutionary model to investigate the coexistence mechanisms of interference competitors. The study finds that coexistence between interference competitors can occur in various ecological scenarios, even at the highest levels of resource overlap. However, coexistence requires co-evolution between species, and reductions in population size and levels of genetic variation may disrupt the coexistence mechanisms.