Environmental “knees” and “wiggles” as strong stabilizers of species’ range limits set by interspecific competition (opens in new tab)

Author summary Individuals of natural populations often compete for resources and space. At the same time, most species have a remarkable capability to adapt to new environments and expand their range. Yet there are no species known to exist globally on the planet. This gives rise to a fundamental question in ecology: what are the factors that limit a species’ range? Interspecific competition has been considered as a major contributor for a long time. However, when the environmental condition...