Interspecific competition can vary depending on the stage, age, or physiological state of the competitors. Competitive ability often increases with age or size; alternatively, senescence can lead to a loss of viability and reduced competitive success. Differences between species in their age‐specific competitive abilities can promote coexistence in the face of substantial niche overlap. We examined two sympatric species of nematodes (genus One species showed reduced performance with age, as older propagules were slower at inducing host mortality. In contrast, the other species increased in killing speed with age. In competition, insect mortality rate was predictive of competitive outcome, such that if one species induced considerably faster host death in a single‐species infection, it was competitively dominant in the coinfection. Accordingly, we found a shift in the competitive relationship between the two species with age. Our work demonstrates that species differences in the effects of aging can lead to dramatic shifts in reproductive success. As these effects are realized solely in a competitive environment, both spatial patchiness and temporal niche partitioning may be important for promoting coexistence.
- Award ID(s):
- 2218849
- PAR ID:
- 10478021
- Publisher / Repository:
- Physical Review E
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Physical Review E
- Volume:
- 108
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 2470-0045
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.108.L032301
