scholarly journals Is competition needed for ecological character displacement? Does displacement decrease competition?

Evolution ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 69 (12) ◽  
pp. 3039-3053 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter A. Abrams ◽  
Michael H. Cortez
Keyword(s):  
Character Displacement ◽  
Ecological Character ◽  
Ecological Character Displacement

Adaptive Diversification Due to Resource Competition in Asexual Models

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Doebeli
Keyword(s):  
Resource Selection ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Resource Competition ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Character Displacement ◽  
Adaptive Diversification ◽  
Ecological Character ◽  
Ecological Character Displacement ◽  
Phenotypic Diversification ◽  
Established Species

This chapter focuses on evolutionary branching in niche position due to frequency-dependent competition. When the majority phenotype of a population is competing for one type of resource, selection may favor minority phenotypes that consume different types of resources, which could result in phenotypic differentiation and divergence. The idea of divergence due to competition is also the basis for the well-known concept of ecological character displacement, although here the focus is not so much on the origin of diversity arising in a single species, but rather on the evolutionary dynamics of existing diversity between different and already established species. Ecological character displacement embodies the possibility that competition between species can drive divergence in characters determining resource use. However, there are alternative evolutionary scenarios for phenotypic diversification. In the context of resource competition, one such alternative is that individuals diversify their diet by evolving a wider niche.

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