Aaron A. King, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and MathematicsUniversity of Michigan
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Spatial mechanisms for coexistence of species with a shared natural enemy
Theoretical Population Biology, 64: 431-38, 2003.
Abstract
We examine the
conditions under which spatial structure can mediate
coexistence of apparent competitors. We use a spatially explicit,
host-parasitoid metapopulation model incorporating local dynamics
of Nicholson-Bailey type and global dispersal. Depending on the
model parameters, the resulting system displays a plethora of
asynchronous dynamical behaviors for which permanent or transient
coexistence is observed. We identify a number of spatially-mediated
tradeoffs which apparent competitors can utilize and demonstrate
that the dynamics of spatial coexistence can typically be
understood from consideration of two- and three-patch systems. The
phase relationships of species abundances are different for our
model than for some other mechanisms of spatial coexistence. We
discuss the implications of our findings relative to issues of
community organization and biological conservation.For reprints of this paper, contact me at aaron.king@umich.edu. An electronic reprint (PDF) is also available.