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Coexistence of two stage-structured intraguild predators.

Tim Schellekens¹, Tobias van Kooten

¹IMARES, P.O. Box 77, 4400 AB Yerseke, The Netherlands. Tim.Schellekens@wur.nl

Journal of Theoretical Biology

|June 5, 2012

Summary

Coexisting omnivores can persist by specializing their roles across life stages. This study shows that differing adult diets allow multiple omnivorous predators to coexist, avoiding competitive exclusion in ecosystems.

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Theoretical Ecology
Community Ecology

Background:

Omnivory, where organisms feed on multiple trophic levels, is common in ecosystems.
The coexistence of multiple omnivorous species within the same ecosystem presents a significant challenge to understanding competitive exclusion.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze a model investigating how multiple omnivorous predators can coexist.
To explore the role of life history separation in resolving competitive exclusion among omnivores.

Main Methods:

A mathematical model simulating a community with two omnivorous predators and a basal resource was developed.
Predator populations were structured into juveniles (feeding on basal resource) and adults (feeding on basal resource and the other predator's juveniles).

Main Results:

Persistence of multiple omnivorous predators is possible when their adult diets differ.
Coexistence is facilitated by community dynamics that segregate functional roles (predator vs. consumer) between species.

Conclusions:

Separation of omnivorous roles across different life stages provides a mechanism for the persistence of omnivory.
Differential adult diets enable multiple omnivores to coexist at similar trophic levels, resolving competitive exclusion.