Summary
This theoretical study integrates structural coexistence theory with adaptive dynamics to examine how evolutionary processes shape community robustness and productivity during diversification. The authors demonstrate a fundamental trade-off: short-term coevolution enhances niche differentiation and stability, but long-term diversification leads to niche packing and reduced robustness. Coevolved communities are predicted to be more robust and productive than non-evolutionary assemblages, with implications for understanding empirical patterns in species-rich systems.
UK applicability
The theoretical predictions may inform management of diverse agricultural and natural ecosystems in the United Kingdom, particularly regarding expectations of how species-rich communities respond to environmental disturbance over different timescales. The framework could guide long-term conservation and restoration strategies where biodiversity and productivity outcomes must be balanced.
Key measures
Community robustness (resistance to perturbation), productivity (resource utilisation), coexistence stability, niche differentiation, niche packing
Outcomes reported
The study modelled how coevolution affects community robustness and productivity across different timescales during species diversification. It demonstrated contrasting short-term and long-term effects of niche differentiation on community stability and productivity.
Topic tags
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