Evolutionary simulations clarify and reconcile biodiversity-disturbance models.

ABSTRACT: There is significant geographic variation in species richness. However, the nature of the underlying relationships, such as that between species richness and environmental stability, remains unclear. The stability-time hypothesis suggests that environmental instability reduces species richness by suppressing speciation and increasing extinction risk. By contrast, the patch-mosaic hypothesis suggests that small-scale environmental instability can increase species richness by providing a steady supply of non-equilibrium environments. Although these hypotheses are often applied to different time scales, their core mechanisms are in conflict. Reconciling these apparently competing hypotheses is key to understanding how environmental conditions shape the distribution of biodiversity. Here, we u

SUBMITTER: Furness EN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8059584 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature