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Post by moabiter on Aug 27, 2010 8:11:08 GMT -8
New Study Published In ‘Biology Letters’ Challenges The Theory Of Evolution Of The Famed Charles Darwin August 25, 2010 (Pen Men at Work): A new study has the potential to shudder the very fundamentals of Darwin’s theory of evolution. This study has mentioned that ‘living space’, and not struggle, was the chief motivating force behind evolution. The aforementioned study conducted at the University of Bristol asserts that Charles Darwin may have been erroneous when he envisioned a globe in which creatures vied for domination and only the most energetic survived. The consequences of this study have been printed in Biology Letters. This study has been authored by Sarda Sahney, Michael Benton and Paul Ferry. www.thaindian.com/newsportal/sci-tech/new-study-published-in-biology-letters-challenges-the-theory-of-evolution-of-the-famed-charles-darwin_100418015.html
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Post by clone on Dec 17, 2011 7:35:29 GMT -8
A unified theory for macroecology based on spatial patterns of abundance Brian McGill1* and Cathy Collins2 1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 and 2Yosemite National Park, PO Box 907, CA 95389, USA Macroecology proceeds by identifying patterns and then identifying processes that cause those patterns. Most of the processes that macroecologists study are local in nature and tend to involve species interactions and speciation and extinction processes. In contrast, we propose that several important macroecological patterns can be explained by very large-scale processes that are primarily spatial in nature. (24pp) www.mcgill.ca/files/neo/EvolutionaryEcologyBrianMcGill.pdf
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Post by clone on Dec 17, 2011 7:40:33 GMT -8
Article alert: Metacommunity theory explains the emergence of food web complexity 30.11.2011 PNAS (2011) doi:10.1073/pnas.1106235108 Pradeep Pillai, Andrew Gonzalez, and Michel Loreau Food webs are highly complex ecological networks, dynamic in both space and time. Metacommunity models are now at the core of unified theories of biodiversity, but to date they have not addressed food web complexity. Here we show that metacommunity theory can explain the emergence of species-rich food webs with complex network topologies. Our analysis shows that network branching in the food web is maximized at intermediate colonization rates and limited dispersal scales, which also leads to concomitant peaks in species diversity. Increased food web complexity and species diversity are made possible by the structural role played by network branches that are supported by omnivore and generalist feeding links. Thus, in contrast to traditional food web theory, which emphasizes the destabilizing effect of omnivory feeding in closed systems, metacommunity theory predicts that these feeding links, which are commonly observed in empirical food webs, play a critical structural role as food webs assemble in space. As this mechanism functions at the metacommunity level, evidence for its operation in nature will be obtained through multiscale surveys of food web structure. Finally, we apply our theory to reveal the effects of habitat destruction on network complexity and metacommunity diversity. www.scales-project.net/news.php?n=166
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Post by HGT on Jun 7, 2015 19:49:07 GMT -8
Mystery of our 145 'alien' genes: Scientists discover some DNA is NOT from our ancestors - and say it could change how we think about evolution Study challenges views that evolution relies solely on genes passed down Instead says we acquired essential 'foreign' genes from microorganisms Published: 23:04 GMT, 13 March 2015 | Updated: 13:39 GMT, 14 March 2015 The research published in the open access journal Genome Biology focuses on the use of horizontal gene transfer, the transfer of genes between organisms living in the same environment. 'This is the first study to show how widely horizontal gene transfer (HGT) occurs in animals, including humans, giving rise to tens or hundreds of active 'foreign' genes,' said lead author Alastair Crisp from the University of Cambridge. 'Surprisingly, far from being a rare occurrence, it appears that HGT has contributed to the evolution of many, perhaps all, animals and that the process is ongoing, meaning that we may need to re-evaluate how we think about evolution.' Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2994187/Mystery-alien-genes-Scientists-discover-DNA-NOT-ancestors-say-change-think-evolution.html#ixzz3cRHBAQ00Follow us: @mailonline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
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