A comprehensive framework for understanding species coexistence
Coexistence is the central concept in community ecology, but an
understanding of this concept requires that we study the actual
mechanisms of species interactions. Coexistence in Ecology examines
the major features of these mechanisms for species that coexist at
different positions in complex food webs, and derives empirical tests
from model predictions.
Exploring the various challenges species face, Mark McPeek
systematically builds a model food web, beginning with an ecosystem
devoid of life and then adding one species at a time. With the
introduction of each new species, he evaluates the properties it must
possess to invade a community and quantifies the changes in the
abundances of other species that result from a successful invasion.
McPeek continues this process until he achieves a multitrophic level
food web with many species coexisting at each trophic level, from
omnivores, mutualists, and pathogens to herbivores, carnivores, and
basic plants. He then describes the observational and experimental
empirical studies that can test the theoretical predictions resulting
from the model analyses.
Synthesizing decades of theoretical research in community ecology,
Coexistence in Ecology offers new perspectives on how to develop an
empirical program of study rooted in the natural histories of species
and the mechanisms by which they actually interact with one another.
