Individuals and the Variation Needed for High Species Diversity in Forest Trees
Individuals and the Variation Needed for High Species Diversity in Forest Trees
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DOI：
10.1126/science.1183506
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发表时间：
2010-02-26
期刊：
影响因子：
56.9
通讯作者：
Clark, James S.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Clark, James S.
过去，人们一直在物种层面上寻求物种高度多样性的解释。理论表明，共存需要物种之间的巨大差异，但物种水平的数据很少提供这种差异的证据。在美国东南部的森林中使用的数据，我在这里表明，在个人层面上明显的变化提供了大量的竞争对手的共存。种群内个体间的变异使物种对环境的反应分布不同，尽管它们所属的种群平均而言没有差异。结果是一致的理论预测，共存取决于竞争比物种之间的竞争更强，在这里所示的个人水平的环境波动的反应分析。
In the past, explanations for high species diversity have been sought at the species level. Theory shows that coexistence requires substantial differences between species, but species-level data rarely provide evidence for such differences. Using data from forests in the southeastern United States, I show here that variation evident at the individual level provides for coexistence of large numbers of competitors. Variation among individuals within populations allows species to differ in their distributions of responses to the environment, despite the fact that the populations to which they belong do not differ, on average. Results are consistent with theory predicting that coexistence depends on competition being stronger within than between species, shown here by analysis of individual-level responses to environmental fluctuation.