We often hear that nature finds a way to survive, and that statement could not be any truer with the newly discovered distribution pattern among rare species of plants and animals. In a new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, a team of researchers from Spain described how plant and animal communities are organized similar to cities, ghettos, and ethnic neighborhoods.
According to the researchers, these organizations can be the reason behind the survival of rare species since it allows them to avoid the pressure of competing against abundant species. The researchers offer two possible explanations: it's either that the rare species are able to cooperate with the abundant species or both species particularly prefer specific microhabitats. They also explained that it is possible for both species to cooperate while preferring specific microhabitats.
PLANTS AND ANIMALS IN THE GHETTO
Researchers from the National Museum of Natural Sciences, the University of Alcala, the Complutense University of Madrid, the Rey Juan Carlos University, the Autonomous University of Madrid, the University of Castilla-La Mancha, and the University of the Basque Country analyzed more than three hundred ecological communities of mosses, herbs, trees, arachnids, insects, and corals to be able to explain the network theory and identify groups and applied numerical simulations to be able to study and trace the mechanisms that made these grouping.
In a press release issued by Umea University, Joaquin Calatayud, the lead author of the study, explains, " animal and plant communities organize like human cities with ghettos. This organization could underlie the persistence of rare species as they escape from the pressure of better competitors by cooperating or using different microhabitats." He also explained that in usual circumstances, the abundant species could eliminate the rare species in a competitive environment. However, that is not the case as rare species are observed to exist together.
The methodology done by the researchers was able to explain the coexistence patterns observed by plant and animal species all over the world. Through this research, better conservation tactics can be developed by having an idea of the formation of ecological communities. Calatayud also stated that understanding such ecological communities can be of help in understanding the intestinal microbiome in relation to human diseases.
Results show that the clustering or rare species increase their persistence. In the same statement, Jaime Madrigal-Gonzalez, a researcher at the UNIGE Forel Institute in Switzerland, states, "coral reefs on Tykus Island in Indonesia show the general pattern observed in 90% of the biological communities of the biological communities analyzed in this article. On this island, Montipora digitata, a species of cnidaria, is the most abundant species in the reef, and it is accompanied by rare species such as the branched fire coral or the coral-mushroom shield. To avoid being eliminated, these rare corals form small associations and tend to grow one beside the other."
However, researchers admit that there are still limitations to the scope of their study. For instance, the specific interactions and mechanisms that allow rare species to associate with abundant species are still unknown. The plus side to this, on the other hand, is it gives an avenue for more research agenda in various fields of life sciences.
