J. W. Spaak

Multitrophic assembly: a perspective from modern coexistence theory

The paper extends modern coexistence theory to multitrophic communities, showing that diversity constraints differ across trophic levels and that empirical data supports these findings.

Continuous assembly required: perpetual species turnover in two trophic level ecosystems

The paper shows that continuous community composition change can occur in deterministic food web models when predator niche width is smaller than prey niche width, challenging equilibrium-based ecological theories.

Building modern coexistence theory from the ground up: the role of community assembly

This paper expands modern coexistence theory to species-rich communities by addressing limitations in mutual invasibility conditions and provides a framework for analyzing invasion resistance and coexistence.

Modeling phytoplankton-zooplankton interactions: opportunities for species richness and challenges for modern coexistence theory

The paper models planktonic food-web interactions to assess drivers of species richness and identifies limitations of modern coexistence theory in multi-trophic communities.

Niche differences, not fitness differences, explain coexistence across ecological groups

The paper investigates species coexistence across ecological groups and finds that niche differences, not fitness differences, primarily drive coexistence.

Different methods for niche and fitness differences computation offer contrasting explanations of species coexistence

The paper compares four methods for quantifying niche and fitness differences in species coexistence, finding they often disagree on the factors driving coexistence.

The effect of non-linear competitive interactions on quantifying niche and fitness differences

This study compares two methods for decomposing niche and fitness differences in community models, showing that nonlinear methods provide more accurate insights into stabilizing and equalizing mechanisms.

Species richness increases fitness differences, but does not affect niche differences

The paper shows that species richness increases average fitness differences but not niche differences, suggesting fitness differences limit species richness in ecosystems.

Unimodal effects of pigment richness on niche and fitness differences explain species richness and ecosystem function in light-limited phytoplankton communities

The paper shows that pigment richness in phytoplankton limits species coexistence and ecosystem function, highlighting constraints on trait diversity effects.

Intuitive and broadly applicable definitions of niche and fitness differences

The paper introduces new intuitive definitions for niche differences and fitness differences in community ecology, applicable to a broader range of communities than existing definitions.