Coevolution, diversification and alternative states in two-trophic communities
(2021) In Ecology Letters 24(2). p.269-278- Abstract
Single-trait eco-evolutionary models of arms races between consumers and their resource species often show inhibition rather than promotion of community diversification. In contrast, modelling arms races involving multiple traits, we found that arms races can promote diversification when trade-off costs among traits make simultaneous investment in multiple traits either more beneficial or more costly. Coevolution between resource and consumer species generates an adaptive landscape for each, with the configuration giving predictable suites of consumer and resource species. Nonetheless, the adaptive landscape contains multiple alternative stable states, and which stable community is reached depends on small stochastic differences... (More)
Single-trait eco-evolutionary models of arms races between consumers and their resource species often show inhibition rather than promotion of community diversification. In contrast, modelling arms races involving multiple traits, we found that arms races can promote diversification when trade-off costs among traits make simultaneous investment in multiple traits either more beneficial or more costly. Coevolution between resource and consumer species generates an adaptive landscape for each, with the configuration giving predictable suites of consumer and resource species. Nonetheless, the adaptive landscape contains multiple alternative stable states, and which stable community is reached depends on small stochastic differences occurring along evolutionary pathways. Our results may solve a puzzling conflict between eco-evolutionary theory that predicts community diversification via consumer–resource interactions will be rare, and empirical research that has uncovered real cases. Furthermore, our results suggest that these real cases might be just a subset of alternative stable communities.
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- author
- Northfield, Tobin D. ; Ripa, Jörgen LU ; Nell, Lucas A. and Ives, Anthony R.
- organization
- publishing date
- 2021
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Coexistence, community structure, divergence, predator, prey
- in
- Ecology Letters
- volume
- 24
- issue
- 2
- pages
- 269 - 278
- publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:33201560
- scopus:85096663977
- ISSN
- 1461-023X
- DOI
- 10.1111/ele.13639
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- ff6b2e5d-88fb-483d-85de-e0a60d2df193
- date added to LUP
- 2020-12-09 07:45:34
- date last changed
- 2024-08-08 07:12:41
@article{ff6b2e5d-88fb-483d-85de-e0a60d2df193, abstract = {{<p>Single-trait eco-evolutionary models of arms races between consumers and their resource species often show inhibition rather than promotion of community diversification. In contrast, modelling arms races involving multiple traits, we found that arms races can promote diversification when trade-off costs among traits make simultaneous investment in multiple traits either more beneficial or more costly. Coevolution between resource and consumer species generates an adaptive landscape for each, with the configuration giving predictable suites of consumer and resource species. Nonetheless, the adaptive landscape contains multiple alternative stable states, and which stable community is reached depends on small stochastic differences occurring along evolutionary pathways. Our results may solve a puzzling conflict between eco-evolutionary theory that predicts community diversification via consumer–resource interactions will be rare, and empirical research that has uncovered real cases. Furthermore, our results suggest that these real cases might be just a subset of alternative stable communities.</p>}}, author = {{Northfield, Tobin D. and Ripa, Jörgen and Nell, Lucas A. and Ives, Anthony R.}}, issn = {{1461-023X}}, keywords = {{Coexistence; community structure; divergence; predator; prey}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{2}}, pages = {{269--278}}, publisher = {{Wiley-Blackwell}}, series = {{Ecology Letters}}, title = {{Coevolution, diversification and alternative states in two-trophic communities}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele.13639}}, doi = {{10.1111/ele.13639}}, volume = {{24}}, year = {{2021}}, }