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When organisms require the same limited resources within an environment, they may have to compete for them. Competition is a net-negative interaction. Even if two competing individuals or populations do not interact directly, the overall fitness of both competitors is lowered as a result of not having full access to the limited resource.
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Alveolates are a group of organisms recognized by the presence of alveoli, which are cytoplasmic sacs located beneath the cell membrane. While their function remains uncertain, alveoli may help regulate water balance by controlling how much water enters and leaves the cell. In dinoflagellates, these structures may serve as armor plates. There are three major types of alveolates: ciliates, which move using cilia; dinoflagellates, which use flagella for movement; and apicomplexans, which are...
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Rhizaria are a diverse group of unicellular protists characterized by their threadlike cytoplasmic extensions known as pseudopodia. These structures aid in both locomotion and feeding, giving Rhizaria an amoeboid appearance. Their amoeboid morphology once led to taxonomic confusion, but molecular phylogenetics has clarified their evolutionary placement and emphasized their shared use of pseudopodia despite divergent lineages.This clade comprises diverse lineages such as Chlorarachniophyta,...
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Excavata is a diverse group of protists that includes both chemoorganotrophic and phototrophic species, with some thriving in anaerobic environments. Among the key groups within Excavata are diplomonads and parabasalids, which are flagellated protists that lack mitochondria and chloroplasts. These microorganisms typically inhabit anoxic environments, such as the intestines of animals, where they exist either symbiotically or as parasites, relying on fermentation for energy production. Some...
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Amoebozoa represent a diverse group of terrestrial and aquatic protists that utilize lobe-shaped pseudopodia for locomotion and feeding. This characteristic differentiates them from the Rhizaria, which possess threadlike pseudopodia. The primary classifications within Amoebozoa include gymnamoebas, entamoebas, and the plasmodial and cellular slime molds. Phylogenetic evidence indicates that Amoebozoa diverged from a lineage that ultimately gave rise to fungi and animals.Gymnamoebas and...
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Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila
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Diversity begets diversity in competition for space.

Daniel S Maynard1, Mark A Bradford1, Daniel L Lindner2

  • 1School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, 370 Prospect Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA.

Nature Ecology & Evolution
|August 17, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Intransitive competition, or "rock-paper-scissors," allows dissimilar species to coexist and boosts species richness. High species richness buffers against competitive exclusion, maintaining biodiversity in ecological communities.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Community Ecology
  • Biodiversity Research

Background:

  • Competition is a key driver of biodiversity patterns, influencing species coexistence.
  • Sessile communities often maintain high biodiversity with minimal niche differentiation, suggesting alternative coexistence mechanisms.
  • Intransitive competition (rock-paper-scissors) is hypothesized to promote species richness and coexistence of dissimilar species.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the hypothesis that intransitive competition promotes species richness and coexistence among dissimilar species.
  • To investigate how competitive interactions influence trait and phylogenetic diversity in multispecies communities.
  • To determine if species richness acts as a buffer against competitive exclusion.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental study using 37 species of wood-decay basidiomycete fungi on nutrient-rich agar media.
  • Analysis of pairwise displacement interactions based on competitive traits and evolutionary history.
  • Modeling of multispecies community dynamics to assess the impact of intransitivity on species coexistence and diversity.

Main Results:

  • Pairwise competition was strongest between species with divergent traits and evolutionary histories.
  • In species-rich communities, high levels of intransitivity allowed weaker, dissimilar species to survive.
  • Multispecies assemblages showed reduced functional and phylogenetic diversity, with the smallest losses in species-rich communities.

Conclusions:

  • Intransitive competition can maintain high species richness by enabling coexistence of dissimilar species.
  • Species richness acts as a self-reinforcing mechanism that buffers against competitive exclusion.
  • These findings enhance understanding of biodiversity maintenance in natural systems through complex competitive networks.