About:Relative nonlinearity

Relative nonlinearity is a coexistence mechanism that maintains species diversity via differences in the response to and effect on variation in resource density or some other factor mediating competition. Relative nonlinearity depends on two processes: 1) species have to differ in the curvature of their responses to resource density and 2) the patterns of resource variation generated by each species must favor the relative growth of another species. In its most basic form, one species grows best under equilibrium competitive conditions and another performs better under variable competitive conditions. Like all coexistence mechanisms, relative nonlinearity maintains species diversity by concentrating intraspecific competition relative to interspecific competition. Because resource density c