According to the competitive exclusion principle, species with low competitive abilities should be excluded by more efficient competitors; yet, they generally remain as rare species. Here, we describe the positive and negative spatial association networks of 326 disparate assemblages, showing a general organization pattern that simultaneously supports the primacy of competition and the persistence of rare species. Abundant species monopolize negative associations in about 90% of the assemblages. On the other hand, rare species are mostly involved in positive associations, forming small network modules. Simulations suggest that positive interactions among rare species and microhabitat preferences are the most probable mechanisms underpinning this pattern and rare species persistence. The consistent results across taxa and geography suggest a general explanation for the maintenance of biodiversity in competitive environments.

Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals Campus de Bellaterra Cerdanyola del Vallès Spain

Climate Change Impacts and Risks in the Anthropocene Institute for Environmental Sciences University of Geneva Geneva Switzerland

Dendrolab Department of Earth Sciences University of Geneva Geneva Switzerland

Departamento de Biodiversidad Ecología y Evolución Universidad Complutense de Madrid Madrid Spain

Departamento de Biogeografía y Cambio Global Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales Madrid Spain

Departamento de Biología de la Conservación Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC Seville Spain

Departamento de Biología Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain

Departamento de Biología Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de La Serena La Serena Chile

Departamento de Biología Geología Física y Química Inorgánica Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Madrid Spain

Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida Edificio de Ciencias Universidad de Alcalá Madrid Spain

Department F A Forel for Environmental and Aquatic Sciences University of Geneva Geneva Switzerland

Department of Botany Faculty of Sciences University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic

Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution Eawag Kastanienbaum Switzerland

Department of Plant Biology and Ecology Pharmacy Faculty University of Basque Country Vitoria Gasteiz Spain

Higher Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering and Botanical Institute University of Castilla La Mancha Albacete Spain

Institute of Plant Sciences and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research University of Bern Bern Switzerland

Integrated Science Laboratory Department of Physics Umeå University Umeå Sweden

Laboratótio do Ecologia e Zoologia de Invertebrados Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal do Pará Belém do Pará Brazil

Plant Ecology Institute of Plant Sciences University of Bern Bern Switzerland

Plant Science University of Melbourne Burnley Campus Richmond Victoria Australia

UMR CNRS 5805 EPOC OASU Université de Bordeaux Site de Talence Pessac Gradignan Pessac France

Nat Ecol Evol. 2020 Jan;4(1):8-9. doi: 10.1038/s41559-019-1071-3. PubMed

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Key concepts and a world-wide look at plant recruitment networks