According to some ecologists, you don't need to invoke adaptation to explain biodiversity. They may sound like nihilists, but their ideas are proving remarkably resilient. John Whitfield reports.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Relevant articles
Open Access articles citing this article.
-
Species–habitat associations in an old-growth temperate forest in northeastern China
BMC Ecology Open Access 09 July 2018
-
Beta diversity determinants in Badagongshan, a subtropical forest in central China
Scientific Reports Open Access 23 November 2015
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
£199.00 per year
only £3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Hubbell, S. P. The Unified Neutral Theory of Biodiversity and Biogeography (Princeton Univ. Press, New Jersey, 2001).
Bell, G. Science 293, 2413–2418 (2001).
Bell, G., Lechowicz, M. J. & Waterway, M. J. in Integrating Ecology and Evolution in a Spatial Context (eds Silvertown, J. & Antonovics, J.) 117–138 (Blackwell Science, Oxford, 2001).
Chave, J., Muller-Landau, H. C. & Levin, S. A. Am. Nat. 159, 1–23 (2002).
Bell, G., Lechowicz, M. J. & Waterway, M. J. J. Ecol. 88, 67–87 (2000).
Condit, R. et al. Science 295, 666–669 (2002).
Kause, A. et al. Evolution 55, 1992–2001 (2001).
Agrawal, A. A. & Van Zandt, P. A. Trends Ecol. Evol. 17, 62 (2002).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Whitfield, J. Neutrality versus the niche. Nature 417, 480–481 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/417480a
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/417480a
This article is cited by
-
Using full-length metabarcoding and DNA barcoding to infer community assembly for speciose taxonomic groups: a case study
Evolutionary Ecology (2020)
-
Species–habitat associations in an old-growth temperate forest in northeastern China
BMC Ecology (2018)
-
Beta diversity determinants in Badagongshan, a subtropical forest in central China
Scientific Reports (2015)
-
Stochastic and deterministic processes interact in the assembly of desert microbial communities on a global scale
The ISME Journal (2011)
-
Diversity and community composition of euglossine bee assemblages (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in western Amazonia
Biodiversity and Conservation (2011)