An ‘evolutionary rescue route’ towards coexistence of competitive plant species

In nature, plant species having the same pollinators experience ‘reproductive interference’ owing to competition, and their coexistence is thought to be possible only through resource partitioning. However, recent studies have suggested that coexistence can occur without resource partitioning if the species evolve to self-pollinate. Now, researchers from Japan provide credibility to this hypothesis with simulations, establishing a novel mechanism for the coexistence of competing flowering species.