Tropical Forests Are Non-Equilibrium Ecosystems Governed by Interspecific Competition Based on Universal 1/6 Niche Width

What is it about?

Tropical forests are megadiverse ecosystems containing as many tree species in 50 ha plots as there are in all of US and Canada combined. These forests exhibit remarkable non-equilibrium dynamics, thus making them a research paradigm for studies of complex systems dynamics. Understanding the mechanisms and processes responsible for the assembly and dynamics of species-rich communities such as tropical foas tropical forests will shed light on fundamental scientific questions in Ecology.

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Why is it important?

We show that local interspecific competition can explain the observed non-equilibrium dynamics of tropical forests. Ours is the first mechanistic model that can accurately predict the numerous metrics that characterize their spatio-temporal dynamics, including some features that main models of community dynamics cannot. Further, tropical tree species in the 9 forests analyzed in 4 continents, in spite of their different evolutionary histories, have a seemingly universal niche width.