NICHE OVERLAP MEASURES AND HYPOTHESIS TESTING: A REVIEW WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO EMPIRICAL APPLICATIONS

Niche overlap measures in single and multiple resource states, and the current status of hypothesis testing using niche overlap measures, are reviewed. Two main hypotheses are recognized. To test the hypothesis of niche identity, the comparison of replicated samples of intra- and interspecific niche...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cœnoses 1989-10, Vol.4 (3), p.137-144
Main Author: Neet, Cornelis R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Community structure
Confidence interval
Ecological competition
Ecological niches
Hypothesis testing
Interspecific competition
Natural resources
Resource availability
Species
Synecology
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Summary:Niche overlap measures in single and multiple resource states, and the current status of hypothesis testing using niche overlap measures, are reviewed. Two main hypotheses are recognized. To test the hypothesis of niche identity, the comparison of replicated samples of intra- and interspecific niche overlap measures is suggested. To test the influence of interspecific interactions on niche overlap, the shuffledsticks model appears promising. Relying on the available information on the properties, bias and statistical parameters of niche overlap measures, some practical recommendations are made. Although single resource niche overlap measures have been extensively studied and may be applied to empirical data, comparisons between communities and measures in multiple resource states are more problematic and should be handled with caution. The present status of the niche overlap concept is discussed.
ISSN:0393-9154