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Apparent competition structures ecological assemblages

Author

Listed:
  • M. B. Bonsall

    (Imperial College at Silwood Park)

  • M. P. Hassell

    (Imperial College at Silwood Park)

Abstract

Competition is a major force in structuring ecological communities1. It acts directly2 or indirectly, in which case it may be mediated by shared natural enemies and is known as ‘apparent competition’3,4,5,6. The effects of apparent competition on species coexistence are well known theoretically7,8 but have not previously been demonstrated empirically in controlled multigenerational experiments. Here we report on the population dynamic consequences of apparent competition in a laboratory insect system with two host species and a common parasitoid attacking them. We find that whereas the two separate, single host–single parasitoid interactions are persistent, the three-species system with the parasitoid attacking both hosts species (which are not allowed to compete directly) is unstable, and that one of the host species is eliminated from the interaction owing to the effects of apparent competition.

Suggested Citation

  • M. B. Bonsall & M. P. Hassell, 1997. "Apparent competition structures ecological assemblages," Nature, Nature, vol. 388(6640), pages 371-373, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:388:y:1997:i:6640:d:10.1038_41084
    DOI: 10.1038/41084
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    Cited by:

    1. Manica, Mattia & Rosà , Roberto & Pugliese, Andrea & Bolzoni, Luca, 2013. "Exclusion and spatial segregation in the apparent competition between two hosts sharing macroparasites," Theoretical Population Biology, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 12-22.
    2. Menezes, J. & Moura, B., 2022. "Pattern formation and coarsening dynamics in apparent competition models," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    3. Hisi, Andreia N.S. & Guimarães, Paulo R. & de Aguiar, Marcus A.M., 2010. "The role of predator overlap in the robustness and extinction of a four species predator–prey network," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 389(21), pages 4725-4733.

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