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Nature 440, 35-36 (2 March 2006) | doi:10.1038/440035a; Published online 1 March 2006

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Ecology: Corals fail a test of neutrality

John M. Pandolfi1

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Ecologists continue to wrestle with a central question in biodiversity studies — the prediction of species' distributions in various environments. A merger of different theories is the long-term prospect.

The most useful scientific models are those with the fewest parameters and the least-disputable assumptions. By testing real data against these 'null models', researchers are insured against over-interpreting their data.

  1. John M. Pandolfi is in the Centre for Marine Studies and the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
    Email: j.pandolfi@uq.edu.au

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