Global patterns of speciation and diversity

M. A. M. de Aguiar, M. Baranger, E. M. Baptestini, L. Kaufman and Y. Bar-Yam ()
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M. A. M. de Aguiar: New England Complex Systems Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
M. Baranger: New England Complex Systems Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
E. M. Baptestini: Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Unicamp, Campinas, São Paulo 13083-970, Brazil
L. Kaufman: New England Complex Systems Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
Y. Bar-Yam: New England Complex Systems Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA

Nature, 2009, vol. 460, issue 7253, 384-387

Abstract: The road to biodiversity The 'neutral' theory of biodiversity, first expounded by Stephen Hubbell in 2001, successfully predicts many of the observed patterns of ecological biodiversity by adopting the simplifying assumption that each individual and each species behaves in the same way, independent of species interactions or history. A new variant of the neutral theory is presented in this issue, adding components that factor in sexual reproduction, mutation and dispersal. The new model simulates reality on many levels, and compares well with real data sets, from shrubs in Panama to fossil mammals in Kansas. The results also show that biodiversity can arise without specific physical barriers — a situation resembling the phenomenon observed in heavy traffic flows, where traffic jams can form for no apparent reason other than there is traffic.

Date: 2009
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DOI: 10.1038/nature08168

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