Unified neutral theory of biodiversity

The Unified Neutral Theory of Biodiversity and Biogeography
AuthorStephen P. Hubbell
LanguageEnglish
SeriesMonographs in Population Biology
Release number
32
PublisherPrinceton University Press
Publication date
2001
Publication placeUnited States
Pages375
ISBN0-691-02129-5

The unified neutral theory of biodiversity and biogeography (here "Unified Theory" or "UNTB") is a theory and the title of a monograph by ecologist Stephen P. Hubbell.[1] It aims to explain the diversity and relative abundance of species in ecological communities. Like other neutral theories of ecology, Hubbell assumes that the differences between members of an ecological community of trophically similar species are "neutral", or irrelevant to their success. This implies that niche differences do not influence abundance and the abundance of each species follows a random walk.[2] The theory has sparked controversy,[3][4][5] and some authors consider it a more complex version of other null models that fit the data better.[6]

"Neutrality" means that at a given trophic level in a food web, species are equivalent in birth rates, death rates, dispersal rates and speciation rates, when measured on a per-capita basis.[7] This can be considered a null hypothesis to niche theory. Hubbell built on earlier neutral models, including Robert MacArthur and E.O. Wilson's theory of island biogeography[1] and Stephen Jay Gould's concepts of symmetry and null models.[7]

An "ecological community" is a group of trophically similar, sympatric species that actually or potentially compete in a local area for the same or similar resources.[1] Under the Unified Theory, complex ecological interactions are permitted among individuals of an ecological community (such as competition and cooperation), provided that all individuals obey the same rules. Asymmetric phenomena such as parasitism and predation are ruled out by the terms of reference; but cooperative strategies such as swarming, and negative interaction such as competing for limited food or light are allowed (so long as all individuals behave alike).

The theory predicts the existence of a fundamental biodiversity constant, conventionally written θ, that appears to govern species richness on a wide variety of spatial and temporal scales.

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Hubbell2001 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference McGill2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pocheville2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Science Daily was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Connolly2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Nee2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Hubbell2005 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).