Entropies such as the Shannon–Wiener and Gini–Simpson indices are not themselves diversities. Conversion of these to effective number of species is the key to a unified and intuitive interpretation of diversity. Effective numbers of species derived from standard diversity indices share a common set of intuitive mathematical properties and behave as one would expect of a diversity, while ra...... hiện toàn bộ
In its simplest definition, a trait is a surrogate of organismal performance, and this meaning of the term has been used by evolutionists for a long time. Over the last three decades, developments in community and ecosystem ecology have forced the concept of trait beyond these original boundaries, and trait‐based approaches are now widely used in studies ranging from the level of organisms...... hiện toàn bộ
It is clear that the majority of flowering plants are pollinated by insects and other animals, with a minority utilising abiotic pollen vectors, mainly wind. However there is no accurate published calculation of the proportion of the ca 352 000 species of angiosperms that interact with pollinators. Widely cited figures range from 67% to 96% but these have not been based on firm data. We es...... hiện toàn bộ
James H. McCutchan, William M. Lewis, Carol Kendall, Claire C. McGrath
Use of stable isotope ratios to trace pathways of organic matter among consumers requires knowledge of the isotopic shift between diet and consumer. Variation in trophic shift among consumers can be substantial. For data from the published literature and supplementary original data (excluding fluid‐feeding consumers), the mean isotopic shift for C was +0.5±0.13‰ rather than 0.0‰, as common...... hiện toàn bộ
It has become increasingly clear that life‐history patterns among the vertebrates have been shaped by the plethora and variety of immunological risks associated with parasitic faunas in their environments. Immunological competence could very well be the most important determinant of life‐time reproductive success and fitness for many species. It is generally assumed by evolutionary ecologi...... hiện toàn bộ