Neutrality, niches, and dispersal in a temperate forest understory.

ABSTRACT: A fundamental goal of ecology is to understand what controls the distribution and abundance of species. Both environmental niches and trade-offs among species in dispersal and competitive ability have traditionally been cited as determinants of plant community composition. More recently, neutral models have shown that communities of species with identical life-history characteristics and no adaptation to environmental niches can form spatial distribution patterns similar to those found in nature, so long as the species have a limited dispersal distance. If there is a strong correlation between geographic distance and change in environmental conditions, however, such spatial patterns can arise through either neutral or niche-based processes. To test these competing theories, we developed a

SUBMITTER: Gilbert B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC419661 | biostudies-literature | 2004 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature