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Spatial scale resolves the niche versus neutral theory debate
Author(s) -
Chase Jonathan M.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of vegetation science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1654-1103
pISSN - 1100-9233
DOI - 10.1111/jvs.12159
Subject(s) - neutral theory of molecular evolution , niche , ecology , geography , scale (ratio) , spatial ecology , tree (set theory) , mathematics , biology , sociology , cartography , combinatorics , demography , population
The 50‐ha long‐term forest plot on Barro Colorado Island in Panama was ‘ground zero’ for the development of ecology's ‘neutral theory’ and comparisons with its ‘niche theory’ counterpart. In this issue, Garzon‐Lopez and colleagues used tree distributions at this site to recast the unresolved (and unresolvable) debate to show that observational scale drives the perception of which processes predominate.