The niche in competition and evolution

the long version

This book examines competition between species within a guild and also between genotypes within a species. The author discusses the extent to which niche-based competition theory can usefully be applied to these two types of competitive system individually, as well as the extent to which stable coexistence of competing organisms through niche differences may provide a conceptual link between them. While early chapters deal with the population dynamics of isolated competitive systems, later chapters discuss coevolution, the role of interspecific competition in determining community structure and the possible evolutionary consequences of a lack of competition. Throughout, the author discusses and interrelates models, experiments and field studies, and concentrates on the search for testable general principles.