Navigation Links
Why do so many species live in tropical forests and coral reefs?
Date:10/30/2007

The latest development in a major debate over a controversial hypothesis of biodiversity and species abundance is the subject of a paper to be published in the 1 November 2007 issue of the journal Nature. The authors report good agreement between the species richness of two of the world's most vulnerable ecosystems -- tropical forests and coral reefs -- and a simple mathematical model building on the so-called "neutral theory of biodiversity." "We're helping to refine and improve this theory because it might have important implications for the effort to protect terrestrial biodiversity from climate change and urban development," says Jayanth Banavar of the Department of Physics at Penn State, a member of the research team.

The Nature paper is based on a counterintuitive assumption of neutral theory: that one can largely ignore interactions between species in modeling patterns of species abundance. The authors are physicists Igor Volkov and Jayanth Banavar of Penn State University, plant biologist Stephen Hubbell of UCLA (formerly of the University of Georgia), and physicist Amos Maritan of the University of Padua in Italy.

Among ecological theorists, neutral theory has sparked a six-year quarrel over the fundamental assumptions of their discipline. The Nature paper counters another scientific team's claim in 2006 that coral-reef diversity "refutes" the neutral theory. At the same time, the paper by Volkov et al., to be published on 1 November 2007, modifies the classical version of neutral theory that appeared in a 2001 book by Hubbell. (Graham Bell of McGill University also developed a neutral theory independently of Hubbell.) Banavar, Maritan, Volkov, and their collaborators have been active in the development of a mathematical framework for understanding ecosystems that builds on and clarifies Hubbell's neutral theory.

"Despite its controversial nature, neutral theory has proved to be a good starting point for understandin
'/>"/>

Contact: Barbara K. Kennedy
science@psu.edu
814-863-4682
Penn State  
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3 4

Related biology news :

1. New species from old data
2. New Clues Add 40,000 Years to Age of Human Species
3. Ants Genetic Engineering Leads To Species Interdependency
4. Same mutation aided evolution in many fish species, Stanford study finds
5. Fibril Shape Is The Basis Of Prion Strains And Cross-species Prion Infection
6. Reservoirs may accelerate the spread of invasive aquatic species, researchers say
7. Small species back-up giant marsupial climate change extinction claim
8. Aggressive aquatic species invading Great Lakes
9. A New Species of Monkey is Discovered in Tanzania: The First in Africa for More Than 20 Years
10. Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld are now species of slime-mold beetles -- but strictly in homage
11. Internet viruses help ecologists control invasive species

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
Related Image:
Why do so many species live in tropical forests and coral reefs?
Why do so many species live in tropical forests and coral reefs?
(Date:11/3/2009)...h as 28 percent less likely to become pregnant and...h that earned a Michigan State University professo...ke, a researcher in the MSU College of Human Medic...roductive Biology, focused on data of nearly 50,00... Luke,s findings, which also can be applied to wo...
(Date:11/3/2009)...ool of Engineering and Applied Science have for th...oratory the enzyme responsible for producing the b... , The research, published Oct. 23 in the journ...pment of other compounds with similarly beneficial...e is one of the most interesting but least underst...
(Date:11/3/2009)...t Chicago have received $1 million from the Nation...lationship between "fat taxes" and food consumptio...he two-year project was made available through the..., The study will link state tax rates associated ...laden foods and beverages (soda, candy, baked good...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):MSU researcher: Obesity significantly cuts odds of successful pregnancy 2UCLA researchers reconstitute enzyme that synthesizes cholesterol drug lovastatin 2UIC receives $1 million grant to study 'fat taxes,' diet, obesity 2Emerging Evidence Shows Strawberries Can Help Lower Cholesterol 58884 1Emerging Evidence Shows Strawberries Can Help Lower Cholesterol 58884 2Emerging Evidence Shows Strawberries Can Help Lower Cholesterol 58884 3Empire BlueCross BlueShield to Support 2011 World Police 26amp 3B Fire Games in NYC 58880 1Empire BlueCross BlueShield to Support 2011 World Police 26amp 3B Fire Games in NYC 58880 2The ZigBee Alliance and Continua Health Alliance Collaborate to Expand Telehealth Capabilities 5232 1The ZigBee Alliance and Continua Health Alliance Collaborate to Expand Telehealth Capabilities 5232 2The ZigBee Alliance and Continua Health Alliance Collaborate to Expand Telehealth Capabilities 5232 3
.... 1, 2008 While hunting among chimpanzees is a gr... highly influential within the group. They are mor...r in their absence, according to a new study. The...imal Behaviour, shed light on how and why some ani...l variation among chimpanzees contributes to colle...
...vative computational approach could speed up the p...nt, researchers from the University of Chicago Med...tudy to be published in the February 2008 issue of...esearchers analyzed specific properties of the hum...arly a thousand FDA-approved drugs. They identifie...
...hers at the University of Southern California have...d the development of cancer in 90 percent of young...se. In the February 1 issue of Cancer Research, t...ith rising levels of PSA (prostate specific antige...ancer. , By early vaccination, we have basically...
Other Biology News:Key 'impact hunters' catalyze hunting among male chimpanzees 2Key 'impact hunters' catalyze hunting among male chimpanzees 3Study of successful drug targets could hasten development of new medications 2Study of successful drug targets could hasten development of new medications 3Prostate cancer: Watchful wait or vaccinate? 2Prostate cancer: Watchful wait or vaccinate? 3
(Date:11/5/2009)...Texas, Nov. 5 SpineSmith Partners .... to co-develop a unique scaffold that mimics the ...valuation of several commercial products by SpineS...mpany believes the GenOsteo scaffold represents a ... a unique and ideal environment for the delivery o...
(Date:11/5/2009)... LASIK Surgery and vision correction ex...ry were actively involved at the recently conclude...ual Meeting in San Francisco, California. Dr. Step...Jonathan Davidorf, MD, Dr. Peter Rapoza, MD, Dr. M... Wayne Bowman, MD, Dr. Edward Manche, MD, and Dr. ...
(Date:11/4/2009)... The Human Anthrax Vaccine Program must...ed the feature film "A Call to Arms:2009 Edit..."Fatal Immunity: The Human Anthrax Vaccine St... present danger of top secret government science t...no accountability to its victims. It is available...
(Date:11/4/2009)..., ROCKVILLE, Md., Nov. 4 Zyngenia,...cused on next-generation antibody drug development...in Series A funding from New Enterprise Associates... firms. The capital will be used to create novel, ...s two or more biological targets with a single age...
Breaking Biology Technology:SpineSmith Partners and GenOsteo Announce Collaborative Product Development Agreement 2Leading Vision Correction Experts in Trusted LASIK Surgeons Directory Educate Fellow Doctors at AAO Annual Meeting 2Leading Vision Correction Experts in Trusted LASIK Surgeons Directory Educate Fellow Doctors at AAO Annual Meeting 3Leading Vision Correction Experts in Trusted LASIK Surgeons Directory Educate Fellow Doctors at AAO Annual Meeting 4Leading Vision Correction Experts in Trusted LASIK Surgeons Directory Educate Fellow Doctors at AAO Annual Meeting 5Leading Vision Correction Experts in Trusted LASIK Surgeons Directory Educate Fellow Doctors at AAO Annual Meeting 6Leading Vision Correction Experts in Trusted LASIK Surgeons Directory Educate Fellow Doctors at AAO Annual Meeting 7Leading Vision Correction Experts in Trusted LASIK Surgeons Directory Educate Fellow Doctors at AAO Annual Meeting 8Leading Vision Correction Experts in Trusted LASIK Surgeons Directory Educate Fellow Doctors at AAO Annual Meeting 9Scott Miller's 'A Call To Arms' And 'Fatal Immunity' Are Available For World-Wide Licensing 2Scott Miller's 'A Call To Arms' And 'Fatal Immunity' Are Available For World-Wide Licensing 3Scott Miller's 'A Call To Arms' And 'Fatal Immunity' Are Available For World-Wide Licensing 4Scott Miller's 'A Call To Arms' And 'Fatal Immunity' Are Available For World-Wide Licensing 5Scott Miller's 'A Call To Arms' And 'Fatal Immunity' Are Available For World-Wide Licensing 6Scott Miller's 'A Call To Arms' And 'Fatal Immunity' Are Available For World-Wide Licensing 7Zyngenia, Inc. Raises $10 Million in Series A Funding 2Zyngenia, Inc. Raises $10 Million in Series A Funding 3Zyngenia, Inc. Raises $10 Million in Series A Funding 4
...es ViPS Member of Select Group of Companies, Perm... Work For CMS Over The N...Value to be Awarded under ESD, ELMWOOD PARK, N.J....PS subsidiary today announced that ViPS has,been s...e Centers for,Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)...
...L Consulting, a,business unit of PAREXEL Internati...iences consultancy serving the bio/pharmaceutical ...t it is strengthening its Good Manufacturing,Pract...l client base,address complexities of European Uni...regulations, quality, and safety. This initiative...
...ei Group Corporation,("Sosei"; TSE Mothers Index: ...ces that AD 337, an enantiomer of an approved, cen... a Phase II proof of principle trial,for the treat... multi-centre, randomised, double-blind, placebo,c...tigated the efficacy,safety and tolerability of AD...
Other Biology Technology:ViPS Awarded Enterprise Systems Development (ESD) Contract By CMS 2ViPS Awarded Enterprise Systems Development (ESD) Contract By CMS 3Parexel Consulting Strengthens Good Manufacturing Practice Capabilities in Europe 2Parexel Consulting Strengthens Good Manufacturing Practice Capabilities in Europe 3Parexel Consulting Strengthens Good Manufacturing Practice Capabilities in Europe 4Parexel Consulting Strengthens Good Manufacturing Practice Capabilities in Europe 5Parexel Consulting Strengthens Good Manufacturing Practice Capabilities in Europe 6Sosei Announces Completion of Phase II Trial of AD 337 in Fibromyalgia Syndrome 2
...ing clone of T4 DNA Ligase. Description: T4 DNA Li...ond between juxtaposed 5' phosphoryl and 3'-hydro...e-stranded nicks in duplex DNA, RNA or DNA/RNA hyb... fragments of duplex DNA or RNA (1) . Tested User ...
Sheep Anti-Bovine BETA-LACTOGLOBULIN A Polyclonal Antibody, Unconjugated from AbD Serotec
Recorder, 6", 7 Day, 1 Pen, 0 to 100C, Free Standing, 115V, 50/60 Hz, for 4520, Customer Installed from Thermo Scientific
... for paramagnetic bead precipitation from standard...stic base in a standard SBS 96 well microtiter pla...nent magnetic rings enables fast and easy magnetic...c beads in a U-bottom plate will pellet in a donut...
Biology Products: