Competition and niche differences shape species coexistence in fragmented landscapes
The study looked at how different species of water fleas in rockpools compete and share habitats. They found that even though the species have specific preferences, they still overlap in where they live. By using advanced models, the researchers showed that competition between species can lead to some species disappearing locally. However, despite this competition, the differences in where the species live are actually quite small. This shows that even though species compete, they can still coexist in the same area.