Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Ecology

Density and diversity

One explanation for the especially rich diversity of trees in the tropics is that a process called 'density-dependent mortality' operates there. It turns out, however, that this process occurs in temperate forests too.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1

ROINE MAGNUSSON/THE IMAGE BANK

Figure 2: Determinants of biodiversity.

References

  1. Gaston, K. J. Nature 504, 220–227 (2000).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Rosenzweig, M. L. Species Diversity in Space and Time (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1995).

  3. Huston, M. Biological Diversity: The Coexistence of Species on Changing Landscapes (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1994).

  4. Givnish, T. J. J. Ecol. 87, 193–210 (1999).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Harms, K. E. et al. Nature 404, 493–495 (2000).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Hille Ris Lambers, J., Clark, J. S. & Beckage, B. Nature 417, 732–735 (2002).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Hammond, D. S. & Brown, V. K. in Dynamics of Tropical Communities (eds Newbery, D. N., Prins, H. H. T. & Brown, V. K.) 51–78 (Blackwell Science, London, 1998).

  8. Ricklefs, R. E. & Schluter, D. Species Diversity in Ecological Communities (Univ. Chicago Press, 1993).

  9. Hubbell, S. P. The Unified Theory of Biodiversity and Biogeography (Princeton Univ. Press, 2001).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

ter Steege, H., Zagt, R. Density and diversity. Nature 417, 698–699 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/417698a

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/417698a

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing