A nearly neutral model of biodiversity

S. P. Hubbell's unified neutral theory of biodiversity has stimulated much new thinking about biodiversity. However, empirical support for the neutral theory is limited, and several observations are inconsistent with the predictions of the theory, including positive correlations between traits associated with competitive ability and species abundance and correlations between species diversity and ecosystem functioning. The neutral theory can be extended to explain these observations by allowing species to differ slightly in their competitive ability (fitness). Here, we show that even slight differences in fecundity can greatly reduce the time to extinction of competitors even when the community size is large and dispersal is spatially limited. In this case, species richness is dramatically reduced, and a markedly different species abundance distribution is predicted than under pure neutrality. In the nearly neutral model, species co-occur in the same community not because of, but in spite of, ecological differences. The more competitive species with higher fecundity tend to have higher abundance both in the metacommunity and in local communities. The nearly neutral perspective provides a theoretical framework that unites the sampling model of the neutral theory with theory of biodiversity affecting ecosystem function.