TY - JOUR
T1 - The end of the beginning for neutral theory
AU - Nee, Sean
AU - Stone, Graham
PY - 2003/9/1
Y1 - 2003/9/1
N2 - The point of ecology is to understand the distribution and abundance of species. Neutral models of species' abundances, which suppose that these fluctuate entirely at random, are currently enjoying considerable attention. To date, much of the credibility of such models has been based on their ability to mimic observed abundance distributions. A new paper by Brian McGill shows that, at least for some data, neutral theory performs worse than does an older, simpler null model. However, this is not the end for neutral theory: rather, it is the 'end of the beginning'.
AB - The point of ecology is to understand the distribution and abundance of species. Neutral models of species' abundances, which suppose that these fluctuate entirely at random, are currently enjoying considerable attention. To date, much of the credibility of such models has been based on their ability to mimic observed abundance distributions. A new paper by Brian McGill shows that, at least for some data, neutral theory performs worse than does an older, simpler null model. However, this is not the end for neutral theory: rather, it is the 'end of the beginning'.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0041510357&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0169-5347(03)00196-4
DO - 10.1016/S0169-5347(03)00196-4
M3 - Short survey
AN - SCOPUS:0041510357
VL - 18
SP - 433
EP - 434
JO - Trends in Ecology & Evolution
JF - Trends in Ecology & Evolution
SN - 0169-5347
IS - 9
ER -