Drivers of individual niche variation in coexisting species

1. Although neglected by classic niche theory, individual variation is now recognized as a prevalent phenomenon in nature with evolutionary and ecological relevance. Recent theory suggests that differences in individual variation across competitors can affect species coexistence and community patterns. However, the degree of individual variation is flexible across wild populations and we still know little about the ecological drivers of this variation across populations of single species and, especially, across coexisting species. 2. Here we aimed to (i) elucidate the major drivers of individual niche variation in natural communities and (ii) to determine how consistent this variation is across coexisting species and communities.
3. We analyzed natural patterns of individual-level niche variation in four species of coexisting generalist frogs across a wide range of tropical communities. Specifically, we used gut contents and stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) from frog species and their p...