Stabilizing interactions in assemblages with weak shared evolutionary history

Determine whether multispecies assemblages with weak shared evolutionary history, including invasive species or anthropogenically dispersed communities, generate stabilizing interspecific interactions that maintain coexistence.

Background

The study quantifies frequency-dependent selection across nine microbial communities in permanently ice-covered Antarctic lakes and finds pervasive negative frequency dependence, suggesting rare species advantage and selective mechanisms that maintain diversity. These communities are highly isolated with limited immigration, supporting long-term coevolutionary histories.

The authors caution that the observed stabilizing dynamics may be tied to coevolution and could change with warming and increased influx. They explicitly raise the question of whether similar stabilizing interactions arise in assemblages lacking strong shared evolutionary history, such as invasive or anthropogenically assembled communities, framing this as a key conservation concern.