Diversity is the question, not the answer [electronic resource]

• Ngôn ngữ: eng
• Ký hiệu phân loại: 570 Life sciences Biology
• Thông tin xuất bản: Washington, D.C. : Oak Ridge, Tenn. : United States. Dept. of Energy. Office of Science ; Distributed by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, U.S. Dept. of Energy, 2016
• Mô tả vật lý: Size: p. 1-6 : , digital, PDF file.
• Bộ sưu tập: Metadata
• ID: 260734
• Chủ đề: 1. 59 basic biological sciences; 2. 60 applied life sciences; 3. Microbial ecology

Tóm tắt

Local diversity (within-sample or alpha diversity) is often implicated as a cause of success or failure of a microbial community. However, the relationships between diversity and emergent properties of a community, such as its stability, productivity or invasibility, are much more nuanced. In this paper, I argue that diversity without context provides limited insights into the mechanisms underpinning community patterns. I provide examples from traditional and microbial ecology to discuss common complications and assumptions about within-sample diversity that may prevent us from digging deeper into the more specific mechanisms underpinning community outcomes. I suggest that measurement of diversity should serve as a starting point for further inquiry of ecological mechanisms rather than an 'answer' to community outcomes.