Abstract
Much ecological theory is based upon neo-Malthusian population ecology, which assumes that competitive interactions among species are the preeminent cause of structure in communities (Hutchinson 1977). Usually, this competition has been observed by ecologists working with vertebrates (MacArthur 1972), plants (Harper 1977), or intertidal marine organisms (Paine 1974). Entomologists, on the other hand, have less frequently included interspecies among the more important causes of community structure. This raises the fascinating question of whether insect communities are formed and maintained by forces distinct from those operating among vertebrates, plants and benthic organisms, or whether a close look will reveal similar community mechanisms in all groups. Insects are the most speciose organisms, and any consistent distinctions in their community structure are of great interest to ecology.
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Strong, D.R. (1981). The Possibility of Insect Communities without Competition: Hispine Beetles on Heliconia . In: Denno, R.F., Dingle, H. (eds) Insect Life History Patterns. Proceedings in Life Sciences. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5941-1_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5941-1_11
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