Do abundance distributions and species aggregation correctly predict macroecological biodiversity patterns in tropical forests?

ABSTRACT:

Aim

It has been recently suggested that different 'unified theories of biodiversity and biogeography' can be characterized by three common 'minimal sufficient rules': (1) species abundance distributions follow a hollow curve, (2) species show intraspecific aggregation, and (3) species are independently placed with respect to other species. Here, we translate these qualitative rules into a quantitative framework and assess if these minimal rules are indeed sufficient to predict multiple macroecological biodiversity patterns simultaneously.

Location

Tropical forest plots in Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama, and in Sinharaja, Sri Lanka.

Methods

We assess the predictive power of the three rules using dynamic and spatial simulation models in combination with census data

SUBMITTER: May F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5024350 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature