Life history is a key driver of temporal fluctuations in tropical tree abundances.

The question of what mechanisms maintain tropical biodiversity is a critical frontier in ecology, intensified by the heightened risk of biodiversity loss faced in tropical regions. Ecological theory has shed light on multiple mechanisms that could lead to the high levels of biodiversity in tropical forests. But variation in species abundances over time may be just as important as overall biodiversity, with a more immediate connection to the risk of extirpation and biodiversity loss.

Life history complementarity and the maintenance of biodiversity.

Life history, the schedule of when and how fast organisms grow, die and reproduce, is a critical axis along which species differ from each other. In parallel, competition is a fundamental mechanism that determines the potential for species coexistence. Previous models of stochastic competition have demonstrated that large numbers of species can persist over long timescales, even when competing for a single common resource, but how life history differences between species increase or decrease the possibility of coexistence and, conversely, whether competition constrains what combinations of life history strategies complement each other remain open questions.