Repeated parallel evolution reveals limiting similarity in subterranean diving beetles
Date
2013
Authors
Vergnon, Remi
Leijs, Remko
van Nes, Egbert H.
Scheffer, Marten
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Journal article
Citation
American Naturalist, 2013; 182(1):67-75
Statement of Responsibility
Remi Vergnon, Remko Leijs, Egbert H. van Nes and Marten Scheffer
Conference Name
DOI
Abstract
The theory of limiting similarity predicts that co-occurring species must be sufficiently different to coexist. Although this idea is
a staple of community ecology, convincing empirical evidence has been scarce. Here we examine 34 subterranean beetle communities in arid
inland Australia that share the same habitat type but have evolved in complete isolation over the past 5 million years. Although these communities
come from a range of phylogenetic origins, we find that they have almost invariably evolved to share a similar size structure. The relative positions of coexisting species on the body size axis were significantly more regular across communities than would be expected by chance, with a size ratio, on average, of 1.6 between coexisting species. By contrast, species’ absolute body sizes varied substantially
from one community to the next. This suggests that self-organized spacing according to limiting-similarity theory, as opposed to evolution
toward preexisting fixed niches, shaped the communities. Using a model starting from random sets of founder species, we demonstrate
that the patterns are indeed consistent with evolutionary self-organization. For less isolated habitats, the same model predicts the coexistence
of multiple species in each regularly spaced functional group. Limiting similarity, therefore, may also be compatible with the coexistence
of many redundant species.
School/Discipline
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Dissertation Note
Provenance
Description
Access Status
Rights
© 2013 by The University of Chicago