Coexistence in Burying Beetles: The Niche of Reproductive Temperatures
Abstract
Coexistence among species can occur in a variety of ways through niche partitioning. Two major niche components for many organisms are temperature and soil moisture and variation in these may occur with habitat heterogeneity. Near Gothic, Colorado at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, there are two habitats that pose differences in temperature and soil moisture: aspen forests and montane meadows. Two burying beetles species co-occur in these habitats (Nicrophorus defodiens and Nicrophorus investigator) and overlap significantly in their activity periods, diet, and reproductive behaviors. Temperature and soil moisture impact beetle development, adult flight, burial behaviors, and survival. Larvae are subject to temperature changes, where high temperatures lead to fatality and low temperatures slow development. Adults are subject to high temperatures and desiccation both aboveground and belowground. Aspen forests and montane meadows provide habitat heterogeneity (differing temperatures and soil moistures). I tested the hypothesis that each species has better reproductive success (higher fitness) in different habitats, thus providing a mechanism for their coexistence. I found that N. defodiens had a greater fitness (brood success, larvae number and larvae mass) in the aspen compared to N. investigator, and N. investigator had a higher fitness in the meadow compared to N. defodiens. N. investigator did have similar brood success to N. defodiens in the aspen, but there may be consequences later in their development.
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