| *Background/Question/Methods*

Recruitment variation is believed to be an important mechanism of species coexistence in variable environments. This mechanism, however, is a composite of two other mechanisms: the storage effect, and relative nonlinearity. The storage effect is a formalization of the concept of temporal environmental niche differentiation. It is well-understood theoretically and has been tested in natural systems such as forests and annual plant communities. Relative nonlinearity results from species differences in nonlinear responses to fluctuations in competition. Such differences arise whenever species differ in life-history traits such as mean longevity. While the storage effect is assumed to be the... |
