Species abundances and lifetimes: From neutral to niche-stabilized communities

• A model interpolating neutral and niche mechanisms is studied.
• An analytical prediction for species abundance distribution (SAD) is obtained.
• A mode in SAD emerges when intraspecific competition becomes stronger.
• Species lifetime distribution is modified by niche stabilization.
• Niche-stabilized communities sustain a larger diversity of longer-lived species.

We study a stochastic community model able to interpolate from a neutral regime to a niche partitioned regime upon varying a single parameter tuning the intensity of niche stabilization, namely the difference between intraspecific and interspecific competition. By means of a self-consistent approach, we obtain an analytical expression for the species abundance distribution, in excellent agreement with stochastic simulations of the model. In the neutral limit, the Fisher log-series is recovered, while upon increasing the stabilization strength the species abundance distribution develops a maximum for species at intermediate abundances, corresponding to the emergence of a carrying capacity. Numerical studies of species extinction-time distribution show that niche-stabilization strongly affects also the dynamical properties of the system by increasing the average species lifetimes, while suppressing their fluctuations. The results are discussed in view of the niche-neutral debate and of their potential relevance to field data.