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Article: Coexistence of similar species in a space-limited intertidal zone.
- Article from:
- Ecological Monographs
- Article date:
- August 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Ecological Society of America. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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INTRODUCTION
Ecologically similar species (i.e., those that share resources) should compete intensely, but they often coexist indefinitely because of organismal traits or ecological processes that reduce competition or prevent it from occurring. Slight differences in morphology, physiology, or life history traits can reduce competition between similar species by partitioning their shared spectrum of resources in character, time, and/or space. But many generalist species, particularly those in the marine realm, have broadly overlapping patterns of resource use (Paine 1977, Connell 1978). Among such taxa, three types of ecological processes enable coexistence of ...