Title: Hubbell's enduring challenge to community ecology

Authors: J. Terry Rolfe

Addresses: Surrey, BC, Canada

Abstract: Central to conservation biology is the need to study population structure and how this influences community change. This paper reviews Stephen Hubbell|s 2001 introduction of the unified neutral theory of biodiversity and considers how useful it has been for interdisciplinary exploration. The approach taken here highlights Hubbell|s unified neutral theory of biodiversity then differentiates it from traditional niche doctrine. It considers how Hubbell|s widely cited empirical work challenged the assumed universal applicability of niche theory and prompted dialectic debate about alternatives, multi-tiered ecological applicability and methodological advancement through mathematical modelling.

Keywords: Stephen Hubbell; community ecology; conservation biology; population structure; community change; unified neutral theory of biodiversity; niche theory; mathematical modelling.

DOI: 10.1504/IER.2009.053972

Interdisciplinary Environmental Review, 2009 Vol.10 No.3/4, pp.100 - 106

Published online: 13 May 2013 *

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