A unification of niche and neutral theories quantifies the impact of competition on extinction
Year: 2011
Type: preprint
Abstract: Efforts to reconcile Hubbell's neutral theory with classical niche theory have been limited by the lack of a nested analytical framework in which departures from the neutral hypothesis might be quantified in fits to empirical data. Here, we present the first extension of Hubbell's theory to allow for asymmetries in competitive, density-dependent interactions such that niche dynamics stabilize or destabilize coexistence over intermediate time scales, while speciation and extinction regulate an unstable coexistence over evolutionary time scales. As a result, we obtain the first mechanistic metacommunity model to quantify the impact of competition on extinction. Intraspecific exceeding interspecific competition delays extinction beyond neutral expectations, while the opposing scenario generates a stochastic Allee effect that speeds extinction below a critical threshold in population abundance. Surprisingly, this unification of niche and neutral theory provides an economical resolution to the problem of short species lifetimes in Hubbell's original model.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Andrew E. Noble, William F. Fagan
Language: English
Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1582460116