Reconciling niche and neutrality: the continuum hypothesis

Gravel, Dominique; Canham, Charles D.; Beaudet, Marilou et Messier, Christian (2006). « Reconciling niche and neutrality: the continuum hypothesis ». Ecology Letters, 9, pp. 399-409.

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Résumé

In this study, we ask if instead of being fundamentally opposed, niche and neutral theories could simply be located at the extremes of a continuum. First, we present a model of recruitment probabilities that combines both niche and neutral processes. From this model, we predict and test whether the relative importance of niche vs. neutral processes in controlling community dynamics will vary depending on community species richness, niche overlap and dispersal capabilities of species (both local and long distance). Results demonstrate that niche and neutrality form ends of a continuum from competitive to stochastic exclusion. In the absence of immigration, competitive exclusion tends to create a regular spacing of niches. However, immigration prevents the establishment of a limiting similarity. The equilibrium community consists of a set of complementary and redundant species, with their abundance determined, respectively, by the distribution of environmental conditions and the amount of immigration.

Type:	Article de revue scientifique
Mots-clés ou Sujets:	continuum hypothesis, lottery model, neutral model, niche, SORTIE-ND, species relative abundance distributions
Unité d'appartenance:	Faculté des sciences > Département des sciences biologiques
Déposé par:	Christian Messier
Date de dépôt:	26 nov. 2008
Dernière modification:	01 nov. 2014 02:07
Adresse URL :	http://archipel.uqam.ca/id/eprint/1366

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