Quantifying tree migration in tropical forests

Abstract

Hubbell’s neutral theory stirred up the classical notion of community dynamics by putting aside niche differences among species. He introduced the ‘dispersal-assembly perspective’ where ‘ecological communities are open, continuously changing ; non-equilibrium assemblages of species whose presence, absence and relative abundance are governed by random speciation and dispersal, ecological drift, extinction’. The present theory allows us to comprehend, if not act as a null theory, some of the fundamental underlying processes namely tree species migration.

Until now the major problem that has limited the applicability of the neutral null hypothesis is the difficulty to estimate the two fundamental parameters of the null model, especially the migration parameter that quantifies the influx of immigrating individuals in a local community. I shall present several technical aspects pertaining to a method of estimation, introduced at the IFP which integrates migration rates of tree communities undergoing neutral processes with the help of common diversity indices and abundance information.

Speaker

Champak Beeravolu Reddy, IFP

Organisers

Department of Ecology, French Institute of Pondicherry

Venue

Jawaharlal Nehru Conference Hall, French Institute of Pondicherry, 11, Saint Louis Street, Pondicherry - 605001

Time

16h30