Report Challenges Common Ecological Assumption About Species Abundance

PhysOrg ^ | October 4, 2006 | Duke University

[SunkenCiv]

A new report finds little empirical evidence to support a widely held ecological assumption that species are most abundant near the centers of their geographic ranges and decline in abundance near the ranges' edges... "This is troubling," Sagarin said, "because a lot of current thinking on ecological and evolutionary issues -- including how species will respond to climate change, how to identify probable locations of pest outbreaks, how genetic diversity is distributed among populations and where to locate habitat preserves -- has been based on the hypothesis." The validity of these ideas now needs to be re-examined using empirical studies, he said.

[SunkenCiv]

And did they tell you the name of the game, boy? It's called, ridin' the gravy train...

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[SunkenCiv]

Ping!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

The validity of these ideas now needs to be re-examined using empirical studies, he said.

Send funding please...I need students...

[4CJ]

This is unbelievable. Many assumptions of ecological and evoltionary significance were based on theories with NO EMPIRICAL BASIS?

Otherwise known as a foundation of sand.