Zapata Fernando A, Gaston Kevin J, Chown Steven L
Department of Biology, Universidad de Valle, Apartado Aéreo 25360, Cali, Colombia.
Am Nat. 2005 Nov;166(5):E144-8; discussion E149-54. doi: 10.1086/491685. Epub 2005 Oct 13.
We revisit the proposition that boundary constraints on species' ranges cause species richness gradients (the mid-domain effect [MDE] hypothesis). In the absence of environmental gradients, species should not retain their observed range sizes as assumed by MDE models. Debate remains regarding the definition of domain limits, valid predictions for testing the models, and their statistical assessment. Empirical support for the MDE is varied but often weak, suggesting that geometric constraints on species' ranges do not provide a general explanation for richness gradients. Criticism of MDE model assumptions does not, however, imply opposition to the use of null models in ecology.
我们重新审视物种分布范围的边界限制导致物种丰富度梯度的这一命题（中域效应[MDE]假说）。在没有环境梯度的情况下，物种不应像MDE模型所假设的那样保持其观测到的分布范围大小。关于域限的定义、检验模型的有效预测及其统计评估，仍存在争议。MDE的实证支持各不相同，但通常较为薄弱，这表明对物种分布范围的几何限制并不能为丰富度梯度提供一个普遍的解释。然而，对MDE模型假设的批评并不意味着反对在生态学中使用零模型。
