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Complex life cycles drive community assembly through immigration and adaptive diversification
  • Marco Saltini,
  • Paula Vasconcelos,
  • Claus Rueffler
Marco Saltini
Uppsala University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Paula Vasconcelos
Uppsala University
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Claus Rueffler
Uppsala University
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Abstract

Most animals undergo ontogentic niche shifts during their life. Yet, standard ecological theory builds on models that ignore this complexity. Here, we study how complex life cycles, where juvenile and adult individuals each feed on different sets of resources, affect community richness. Two different modes of community assembly are considered: gradual adaptive evolution and immigration of new species with randomly selected phenotypes. We find that under gradual evolution complex life cycles can lead to both higher and lower species richness when compared to a model of species with simple life cycles that lack an ontogenetic niche shift. Thus, complex life cycles do not per se increase the scope for gradual adaptive diversification. However, complex life cycles can lead to significantly higher species richness when communities are assembled trough immigration, as immigrants can occupy isolated peaks of the dynamic fitness landscape that are not accessible via gradual evolution.
17 Dec 2022Submitted to Ecology Letters
19 Dec 2022Assigned to Editor
19 Dec 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
19 Dec 2022Submission Checks Completed
03 Jan 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
09 Feb 2023Editorial Decision: Revise Major
01 Mar 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
01 Mar 20231st Revision Received
01 Mar 2023Submission Checks Completed
01 Mar 2023Assigned to Editor
09 Mar 2023Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
13 Mar 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
13 Mar 20232nd Revision Received
20 Mar 2023Submission Checks Completed
20 Mar 2023Assigned to Editor
20 Mar 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
20 Mar 2023Editorial Decision: Accept