An excess of niche differences maximizes ecosystem functioning

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 4180 - 10
• Main Authors: Godoy, Oscar, Gómez-Aparicio, Lorena, Matías, Luis, Pérez-Ramos, Ignacio M., Allan, Eric
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 21.08.2020; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/158; 631/158/670; 631/158/853; 64; Biodiversity; Coexistence; Competition; Complementarity; Correlation; Drought; Ecological function; Ecosystems; Environmental conditions; Fitness; Herbivores; Humanities and Social Sciences; multidisciplinary; Niches; Nutrients; Parameterization; Plant species; Primary production; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Species

Ecologists have long argued that higher functioning in diverse communities arises from the niche differences stabilizing species coexistence and from the fitness differences driving competitive dominance. However, rigorous tests are lacking. We couple field-parameterized models of competition betwee...