Resource Partitioning in Ecological Communities: Research on how similar species divide resources helps reveal the natural regulation of species diversity.
Abstract
To understand resource partitioning, essentially a community phenomenon, we require a holistic theory that draws upon models at the individual and population level. Yet some investigators are still content mainly to document differences between species, a procedure of only limited interest. Therefore, it may be useful to conclude with a list of questions appropriate for studies of resource partitioning, questions this article has related to the theory in a preliminary way. 1) What is the mechanism of competition? What is the relative importance of predation? Are differences likely to be caused by pressures toward reproductive isolation? 2) Are niches (utilizations) regularly spaced along a single dimension? 3) How many dimensions are important, and is there a tendency for more dimensions to be added as species number increases? 4) Is dimensional separation complementary? 5) Which dimensions are utilized, how do they rank in importance, and why? How do particular dimensions change in rank as species nuimber increases? 6) What is the relation of dimensional separation to difference in phenotypic indicators? To what extent does the functional relation of phenotype to resource characteristics constrain partitioning? 7) What is the distance between mean position of niches, what is the niche standard deviation, and what is the ratio of the two? What is the niche shape?
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Coexistence of species that occupy similar niches generally occurs through the differential use of resources, such as food, space, and time.
“Coexistence of species that occupy similar niches generally occurs through the differential use of resources, such as food, space, and time (Schoener, 1974).”
From Comparative Craniometric Measurements of Two Sympatric Species of Vulpes in Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Mongolia (2018) · cites this paper as Schoener, 1974
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Maglianesi, M., Blüthgen, N., Böhning-Gaese, K., & Schleuning, M. (2015) · Ecography · doi:10.1111/ecog.01538 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
“In the presence of high degrees of interspecific competition, pollinators are expected to become more specialized by increasing resource partitioning (Schoener 1974, Inouye 1978).”
BackgroundStiner, M. C., & Kuhn, S. L. (2016) · Journal of Anthropological Archaeology · doi:10.1016/j.jaa.2016.07.006 · Cited by 108 · see citing works
Behavioural interference between ungulate species: roe are not on velvet with fallow deer
Ferretti, F., Sforzi, A., & Lovari, S. (2010) · Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology · doi:10.1007/s00265-010-1088-8 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
“Even when interspecific competition was suspected to influence numerical trends (Forsyth and Hickling 1998; Focardi et al. 2006), density (Latham et al. 1997), distribution (Anthony and Smith 1977), resource use ( Putman 1996 ) and phenotypic quality (Richard et al. 2010) of sympatric ungulate species, no evidence of…”
BackgroundInfluentialInvasive mussels induce community changes by increasing habitat complexity
Burlakova, L., Karatayev, A., & Karatayev, V. (2012) · Hydrobiologia · doi:10.1007/s10750-011-0791-4 · Cited by 88
“However, the effects may be more complex, as heterogeneity of the environment is essential for species co-existence, and complex habitats offer a variety of different microhabitats and niches, allowing resource partitioning (Schoener, 1974; Pianka, 1988; Levin, 1992; Downes et al., 2000).”
BackgroundXu, X., Ouyang, H., Cao, G., Richter, A. A., Wanek, W., & Kuzyakov, Y. V. (2010) · Plant and Soil · doi:10.1007/s11104-010-0662-1 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
“Several mechanisms have been invoked to explain plant species coexistence in N-limited ecosystems, including variation in resource requirements of individual species and partitioning of N acquisition in time, space and chemical forms ( Schoener 1974; Tilman 1982; Chesson 2000; McKane et al. 2002; Miller and Bowman 200…”
Grassland root communities: species distributions and how they are linked to aboveground abundance.
Frank, D. A., Pontes, A., Maine, E. M., Caruana, J. C., Raina, R., Raina, S., & Fridley, J. (2010) · Ecology · doi:10.1890/09-1831.1 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Grinyó, J., Gori, A., Ambroso, S., Purroy, A., Calatayud, C., Dominguez‐Carrió, C., Coppari, M., Iacono, C. L., López‐González, P. J., & Gili, J. M. (2016) · Progress In Oceanography · doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2016.05.001 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
“This could indicate that differences in size may reduce interspecific competition for space and food (Schoener, 1974).”
BackgroundSpatio-temporal ecology of sympatric felids on Borneo. Evidence for resource partitioning?
Hearn, A., Cushman, S., Ross, J., Goossens, B., Hunter, L., & Macdonald, D. (2018) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0200828 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Does interspecific competition drive patterns of habitat use in desert bat communities?
Razgour, O., Korine, C., & Saltz, D. (2011) · Oecologia · doi:10.1007/s00442-011-1995-z · Cited by 94 · see citing works
“Although temporal partitioning is regarded as the least common mode of resource partitioning ( Schoener 1974 ), it has been identified in several bat communities.”
BackgroundInterspecific interactions between wild felids vary across scales and levels of urbanization
Lewis, J. S., Bailey, L., VandeWoude, S., & Crooks, K. (2015) · Ecology and Evolution · doi:10.1002/ece3.1812 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
“Species interactions have long been recognized as a driving factor in shaping ecological communities and influencing the spatial and temporal distribution of animals (Darwin 1859; Schoener 1974; Carothers and Jaksi c 1984).”
BackgroundCoevolution and the Effects of Climate Change on Interacting Species
Northfield, T. D., & Ives, A. R. (2013) · PLoS Biology · doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001685 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
“[58,59].”
Linnebjerg, J., Fort, J., Guilford, T., Reuleaux, A., Mosbech, A., & Frederiksen, M. (2013) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0072987 · Cited by 84
“Resource partitioning may be expressed in, amongst other things, interspecific differences in prey, foraging habitats or foraging strategies [3–6].”
BackgroundFeeding ecology of carnivores (Mammalia, Carnivora) in Atlantic Forest remnants, Southern Brazil
Rocha-Mendes, F., Mikich, S. B., Quadros, J., & Pedro, W. A. (2010) · doi:10.1590/s1676-06032010000400001 · Cited by 83
“6% from 719 feces analyzed using this method, while Wang (2002) reported an exceptional success of 92.”
BackgroundMethodWereszczuk, A., & Zalewski, A. (2015) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0139852 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
“First, each species may specialize on distinct resources or respond in a different way to competitors [5, 8, 9].”
BackgroundBarrull, J., Mate, I., Ruiz‐Olmo, J., Casanovas, J. G., Gosálbez, J., & Salicrú, M. (2013) · Mammalian Biology · doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2013.11.004 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
The twilight zone: ambient light levels trigger activity in primitive ants
Narendra, A., Reid, S. F., & Hemmi, J. (2010) · Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2009.2324 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
“Being active at different times of the day enables them to avoid predators, follow the temporal distribution of food resources and reduce competition and direct confrontation (Schoener 1974; Kronfeld-Schor & Dayan 2003).”
BackgroundYoung, M., Bell, M., de Andrade, M. B., & Brusatte, S. (2011) · Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society · doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00734.x · Cited by 81 · see citing works
“Schoener TW. 1974.”
Defaunation and fragmentation erode small mammal diversity dimensions in tropical forests
Bovendorp, R., Brum, F. T., McCleery, R., Baiser, B., Loyola, R., Cianciaruso, M., & Galetti, M. (2018) · Ecography · doi:10.1111/ecog.03504 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
“Period of activity (diurnal, crepuscular and nocturnal) has been associated with the sharing of resources and is considered one of the most important components of the niche (Schoener 1974, Graipel et al. 2003).”
BackgroundA unified approach for quantifying invasibility and degree of invasion.
Guo, Q.-F., Fei, S., Dukes, J., Oswalt, C., Iannone, B., & Potter, K. (2015) · Ecology · doi:10.1890/14-2172.1 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
“…richness and biomass are similar to the concept of carrying capacity in population biology, which is also difficult to obtain, but for which rough estimates have been widely used and have proved very helpful for studying population dynamics (e.g., the Lotka and Volterra model; Schoener 1974).”
BackgroundMethodGavrilchuk, K., Lesage, V., Ramp, C., Sears, R., Bérubé, M., Bearhop, S., & Beauplet, G. (2014) · Marine Ecology Progress Series · doi:10.3354/meps10578 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
“Individuals within a species can reduce the impact of competition via partitioning of resources by gender, age class, reproductive state or simply through differences in individual preferences (Schoener 1974).”
BackgroundCommon and snow leopards share prey, but not habitats: competition avoidance by large predators?
Lovari, S., Minder, I., Ferretti, F., Mucci, N., Randi, E., & Pellizzi, B. (2013) · doi:10.1111/jzo.12053 · Cited by 79
Sinsch, U., Lümkemann, K., Rosar, K., Schwarz, C., & Dehling, M. J. (2012) · African Zoology · doi:10.1080/15627020.2012.11407524 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
“Interspecific competition is thought to place the limit on the number of species which can coexist and resource partitioning in habitat dimensions seems to be more important than in food-type dimensions and in temporal dimension (Schoener 1974, 1986).”
Background
- Authors
- Schoener, T. W.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Schoener, Thomas W.
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 1974-07-05
- Volume
- 185
- Issue
- 4145
- Pages
- 27-39
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2034690972
- Cited by
- 4,129
- References
- 141
- Citations by year
- 2026: 174 · 2025: 168 · 2024: 149 · 2023: 162 · 2022: 176 · 2021: 181 · 2020: 177 · 2019: 168 · 2018: 149 · 2017: 140 · 2016: 136 · 2015: 139 · 2014: 108 · 2013: 128 · 2012: 114
- FWCI
- 49.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Mathematical and Theoretical Epidemiology and Ecology Models
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Keywords
- resource partitioning, ecological communities, interspecific competition, niche overlap, niche breadth, predation, reproductive isolation, phenotypic variability, species number, community theory
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
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