Competition and the structure of bird communities.

摘要: Professor Cody's monograph emphasizes the role of competition at levels above single species populations, and describes how competition, by way niche concept, determines structure communities. Communities may be understood in terms resource gradients, or dimensions, along which become segregated through competitive interactions. Most communities appear to exist three four such dimensions. The first chapters describe gradients (habitat types, foraging sites, food types), show what factors restrict certain parts so determine breadths, illustrate important predictability overlap between for resources they share. examples are drawn from eleven North South American bird communities, although concepts methodology far more general. Next, optimality community is tested parallel convergent evolution on different continents with similar climates habitats, direct influence competitors use investigated comparisons species--poor island species-rich mainland ones. Finally, author discusses those sorts environments one species--one set not achieved, where alternative schemes allocation, often involving several that act ecologically as one, must followed.