We studied experimentally the effect of resource subdivision and popul
ation aggregation on the number of coexisting species in the coexistin
g species in the community of carrion flies. Placing small pieces of c
ow liver (50 g) in a cultivated field we created a homogeneous but pat
chy environment for the ovipositing flies. For the larval development,
two or four pieces of liver were combined to a single unit to remove
resource patchiness during larval competition.This manipulation increa
sed interspecific aggregation but decreased intraspecific aggregation.
The size of the emerging flies, which reflects the level of competiti
on, varied more between rearings when patchiness was retained. These r
esults imply greater spatial variation in intraspecific competition in
the more patchy environment. Combining four pieces of resource into a
single unit led to a clear reduction in the number of emerging specie
s, and a clear increase in the dominance of the most abundant species,
compared with a control group. Our results strongly support the notio
n that independent aggregation of competitors facilitates their coexis
tence, and hence regional diversity.