Neutral Theory and Beyond

This article summarizes the history, formulation, and results of neutral theory in ecology. The motivation for the development of neutral theory is outlined, including its foundations in the theories of molecular evolution and island biogeography. The authors provide an explicit mathematical formulation of Hubbell’s original neutral model, and outline the predictions of this model and subsequent refinements and extensions. Nonneutral models are discussed, and they summarize the prospects for future development.

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