The transition between the niche and neutral regimes in ecology
Abstract
In recent years, there has been a vigorous debate among ecologists over the merits of two contrasting models of biodiversity: the niche and neutral theories of ecology. Using two different theoretical models of ecological dynamics, we show that there is a transition between a selection-dominated regime (the niche phase) and a drift-dominated regime (the neutral phase). This is analogous to the phase diagram of water, which can be in the solid, liquid, or gas phase, depending on the temperature and pressure. Our results demonstrate how the niche and neutral theories both emerge from the same underlying ecological principles.
- Publication:
-
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
- Pub Date:
- September 2014
- DOI:
- 10.1073/pnas.1405637111
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1308.2969
- Bibcode:
- 2014PNAS..11113111F
- Keywords:
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- Quantitative Biology - Populations and Evolution;
- Condensed Matter - Statistical Mechanics
- E-Print:
- doi:10.1073/pnas.1405637111