Wiegand Thomas P, Gentry Braley, McCoy Zachary, Tanis Craig, Klug Hope, Bonsall Michael B, Boyd Jennifer Nagel
Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chattanooga TN USA.
Department of Computer Science and Engineering University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chattanooga TN USA.
Ecol Evol. 2020 Aug 3;10(17):9037-9047. doi: 10.1002/ece3.6633. eCollection 2020 Sep.
Understanding the ecological and evolutionary factors that influence species rarity has important theoretical and applied implications, yet the reasons why some species are rare while others are common remain unresolved. As a novel exploration of scientific knowledge, we used network analysis conceptually to visualize the foci of a comprehensive base of >800 studies on plant species rarity within the context of ecology and evolution. In doing so, we highlight existing research strengths that could substantiate novel syntheses and gaps that could inspire new research. Our results reveal strong integrated foci on population dynamics with other ecological concepts. In contrast, despite the potential for ecological and evolutionary processes to interact, few studies explored the interplay of environmental factors and microevolutionary patterns. The cellular and molecular biology, physiology, and plasticity of rare plant species within both ecological and evolutionary contexts similarly provide avenues for impactful future investigations.
了解影响物种稀有性的生态和进化因素具有重要的理论和应用意义，但有些物种稀有而有些物种常见的原因仍未得到解决。作为对科学知识的一种新颖探索，我们从概念上运用网络分析，在生态学和进化的背景下直观呈现了关于植物物种稀有性的800多项研究的综合基础的重点内容。通过这样做，我们突出了现有研究中可支持新综合研究的优势以及可激发新研究的空白之处。我们的结果揭示了种群动态与其他生态概念之间强大的综合重点。相比之下，尽管生态和进化过程有可能相互作用，但很少有研究探讨环境因素与微观进化模式之间的相互作用。在生态和进化背景下，稀有植物物种的细胞与分子生物学、生理学及可塑性同样为未来有影响力的研究提供了途径。
