Journal
ECOLOGY LETTERS
Volume 10, Issue 7, Pages 574-585Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01049.x
Keywords
autocorrelated variability; coexistence; Colpidium striatum; competition; environmental colour; immigration; inflationary effect; metacommunity; temporal variability; Tetrahymena thermophila
Categories
Funding
- NIGMS NIH HHS [R01-GM60792] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
We tested the hypothesis that temporally autocorrelated variation should increase the abundance of an inferior competitor sustained by immigration. Temporally autocorrelated variability can increase abundance of the inferior species through effects on demography, the strength of competition, and the mean and variance in the abundance of competing species. We allowed the competitive inferior to immigrate into habitats with constant, variable, or temporally autocorrelated temperature regimes. In the absence of immigration, competitive exclusion occurred, in both constant and variable environments. Immigration permitted persistence of the inferior species, and increased immigration rates led to increased abundance. Temporally autocorrelated variability enhanced this effect of immigration. This 'inflationary' effect suggests that the interplay of immigration and environmental variability can jointly influence the outcome of competitive interactions. Our results suggest that an increase in temporal autocorrelation of environmental variability will cause regional processes to increasingly influence local interactions.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available