Revisiting the role of intraspecific variability in species coexistence: modelling approaches and insights from forest data

To answer the question "how do many species that require the same resources manage to coexist?", intraspecific variability (IV, the differences between individuals of the same species) has been taken into account. In mathematical models simulating species dynamics, IV is often represented as a random noise around the species mean, without structure in space or time. This PhD thesis examines the nature and structure of IV, how it is accounted for in ecology, particularly in models, and its consequences for species coexistence. We illustrate how IV can arise from environmental variation. We show that IV is spatially structured and that the way in which it is represented impacts the results of models. We propose a method to include the structure of IV and its consequences for coexistence in models, which would improve predictions on biodiversity.

Jury composition:
Sean McMAHON, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (Rapporteur)
Björn REINEKING, INRAE (Rapporteur)
Aude VALADE, CIRAD (Examinatrice)
Raphaël PÉLISSIER, IRD (Directeur de thèse)
Isabelle MARÉCHAUX, INRAE (Co-encadrante de thèse, invitée)
Ghislain VIEILLEDENT, CIRAD (Co-encadrant de thèse, invité)