@article{fdi:010088098,
  title = {{R}ethinking the nature of intraspecific variability and its consequences on species coexistence},
  author = {{G}irard-{T}ercieux, {C}. and {M}arechaux, {I}. and {C}lark, {A}. {T}. and {C}lark, {J}. {S}. and {C}ourbaud, {B}. and {F}ortunel, {C}laire and {G}uillemot, {J}. and {K}unstler, {G}. and le {M}aire, {G}. and {P}{\'e}lissier, {R}apha{\¨e}l and {R}uger, {N}. and {V}ieilledent, {G}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{I}ntraspecific variability ({IV}) has been proposed to explain species coexistence in diverse communities. {A}ssuming, sometimes implicitly, that conspecific individuals can perform differently in the same environment and that {IV} increases niche overlap, previous studies have found contrasting results regarding the effect of {IV} on species coexistence. {W}e aim at showing that the large {IV} observed in data does not mean that conspecific individuals are necessarily different in their response to the environment and that the role of high-dimensional environmental variation in determining {IV} has largely remained unexplored in forest plant communities. {W}e first used a simulation experiment where an individual attribute is derived from a high-dimensional model, representing "perfect knowledge" of individual response to the environment, to illustrate how large observed {IV} can result from "imperfect knowledge" of the environment. {S}econd, using growth data from clonal {E}ucalyptus plantations in {B}razil, we estimated a major contribution of the environment in determining individual growth. {T}hird, using tree growth data from long-term tropical forest inventories in {F}rench {G}uiana, {P}anama and {I}ndia, we showed that tree growth in tropical forests is structured spatially and that despite a large observed {IV} at the population level, conspecific individuals perform more similarly locally than compared with heterospecific individuals. {A}s the number of environmental dimensions that are well quantified at fine scale is generally lower than the actual number of dimensions influencing individual attributes, a great part of observed {IV} might be represented as random variation across individuals when in fact it is environmentally driven. {T}his mis-representation has important consequences for inference about community dynamics. {W}e emphasize that observed {IV} does not necessarily impact species coexistence per se but can reveal species response to high-dimensional environment, which is consistent with niche theory and the observation of the many differences between species in nature.},
  keywords = {competition ; environmental variation ; high-dimensional niche ; individual variation ; intraspecific variability ; spatial autocorrelation ; spatial heterogeneity ; species coexistence ; {BRESIL} ; {GUYANE} {FRANCAISE} ; {INDE} ; {ZONE} {TROPICALE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{E}cology and {E}volution},
  volume = {13},
  numero = {3},
  pages = {e9860 [18 p.]},
  ISSN = {2045-7758},
  year = {2023},
  DOI = {10.1002/ece3.9860},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010088098},
}