Syntopy
In ecology, syntopy means the joint occurrence of two species in the same habitat at the same time. Just as the broader term sympatry, "syntopy" is used especially for close species that might hybridise or even be sister species. Sympatric species occur together in the same region, but do not necessarily share the same localities as syntopic species do. Areas of syntopy are of interest because they allow to study how similar species may coexist without outcompeting each other.
As an example, the two bat species Myotis auriculus and M. evotis were found to be syntopic in North America.[1] In contrast, the marbled newt and the northern crested newt have a large sympatric range in western France, but differ in their habitat preferences and only rarely occur syntopically in the same breeding ponds.[2]
References
- ↑ Gannon, William L. (1998). "Syntopy between two species of long-eared bats (Myotis evotis and Myotis auriculus)". The Southwestern Naturalist 43 (3): 394–396. JSTOR 30055386.
- ↑ Schoorl, Jaap; Zuiderwijk, Annie (1980). "Ecological isolation in Triturus cristatus and Triturus marmoratus (Amphibia: Salamandridae)". Amphibia-Reptilia 1 (3): 235–252. doi:10.1163/156853881X00357. ISSN 0173-5373.