We propose a mechanism for the coexistence of autumn and spring seedlings within one population of annual plants—intraspecific niche complementarity of a two-year life history cycle.
We extended classic annual soil seed bank dynamic models using evolutionary stability and the density dependence theory.
Our model can be applied not only to winter or spring annuals but also to autumn- and spring-seedling plants coexisting in one population.
The germination behaviors of plants with unsynchronized two-year life history cycles are a new example of intraspecific niche differentiation in annuals.