Concepts

The concept that co-occurring species occupy distinct positions in multidimensional nutrient space to minimize competition and facilitate coexistence

A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance and whose presence/absence significantly affects ecosystem structure and function

Theory that predicts patterns of distribution, abundance, and energetics using instantaneous values of community state variables including total area, total abundance, total species richness, and tota...

Theory providing mass-metabolism scaling rules that relate metabolic rate to organism mass through allometric relationships

Framework predicting that larger islands have more species at equilibrium since extinction rates decline and colonization rates increase with increased area, and islands at greater distance from mainl...

Signaling system where the signal reliably indicates the quality or quantity of rewards available to the receiver

The range of resources or interaction partners utilized by a species, in this context referring to the diversity of flower visitors to a plant species

Theory asserting that plant-pollinator interactions are neutral, random processes based on species abundances without considering traits or competitive dynamics

The concept that predator-prey interactions extend beyond direct predation and can influence prey behavior and habitat use through perceived predation risk

Theory stating that pollinator visitation rates are higher in areas of higher floral density while in sparse populations pollinators switch between plants less frequently

Species that define ecosystems and provide critical habitat structure, where big sagebrush is a foundation species in steppe ecosystems of western North America

Sapsucker-fungus partnership that strongly influences the avian community by providing nest sites

Habitat structure that provides protection from predation by offering shelter or hiding places

A theory based on the assumption that distribution of individuals is scale free, meaning geometric patterns are the same whether viewed through microscope or telescope

Model suggesting phages integrate into host genomes as prophages when microbial abundances and growth rates are high

A model based on the assumption that individuals within each species are randomly scattered over the plot or landscape

Activities of individuals or species that benefit from the rewards and services mutualisms exchange without offering any in return

The capacity of a species to successfully compete for limiting resources, which can be altered by parasitic stress

A set of organisms present across multiple sites that are not statistically associated with any specific location and represent shared metabolic potential

Communication signals that vary continuously rather than discretely to convey information about intensity or degree

Critical point where herbivore grazing pressure begins to regulate algal biomass rather than resource limitation

The convergent set of floral traits (red color, tubular morphology, dilute nectar) expected to evolve in flowers adapted for hummingbird pollination

A model suggesting that plant diversity peaks at intermediate productivity, is low at high productivity where few species dominate available resources, and is low at low productivity where few species...

Model predicting that predators are affected to a greater extent than prey in high stress environments, reducing predation rates

Plant strategy emphasizing rapid resource capture and growth versus conservative resource use

Theoretical framework contrasting bottom-up resource limitation versus top-down predator control of community structure

Theory predicting that species with traits conferring ability to most efficiently take up limiting soil resources will have highest abundance in a community

Theory predicting that certain configurations of positive and negative relationships in triads are inherently more stable or balanced than others

The balance between exploiting benign habitats with strong biotic interactions versus stressful habitats with reduced competition