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At 50, Janzen-Connell has come of age

Publication ,  Journal Article
Terborgh, J
Published in: BioScience
December 1, 2020

Fifty years ago, Janzen (1970) and Connell (1971) independently published a revolutionary idea to explain the hyperdiverse tree communities of the tropics. The essential observations were that seedfall is concentrated in the vicinity of fruiting trees, whereas saplings recruit at a distance from reproductive conspecifics. These observations were encapsulated in a simple focal-tree model constructed of intersecting curves for seedfall and escape from host-specific enemies postulated to attack propagules (seeds and seedlings) in the vicinity of reproductive conspecifics. In conflict with the thinking of the times, the mechanism operates from the top down rather than from the bottom up. A deterrent to broad acceptance has been the giant intuitive leap required to generalize the focal tree model to an entire forest community. Recent theoretical and empirical results have succeeded in bridging the gap between the focal tree model and its community-level implications. With these new findings, Janzen-Connell has come of age.

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Published In

BioScience

DOI

EISSN

1525-3244

ISSN

0006-3568

Publication Date

December 1, 2020

Volume

70

Issue

12

Start / End Page

1082 / 1092

Related Subject Headings

  • Ecology
  • 41 Environmental sciences
  • 31 Biological sciences
  • 06 Biological Sciences
  • 05 Environmental Sciences
 

Citation

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Terborgh, J. (2020). At 50, Janzen-Connell has come of age. BioScience, 70(12), 1082–1092. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biaa110
Terborgh, J. “At 50, Janzen-Connell has come of age.” BioScience 70, no. 12 (December 1, 2020): 1082–92. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biaa110.
Terborgh J. At 50, Janzen-Connell has come of age. BioScience. 2020 Dec 1;70(12):1082–92.
Terborgh, J. “At 50, Janzen-Connell has come of age.” BioScience, vol. 70, no. 12, Dec. 2020, pp. 1082–92. Scopus, doi:10.1093/biosci/biaa110.
Terborgh J. At 50, Janzen-Connell has come of age. BioScience. 2020 Dec 1;70(12):1082–1092.
Journal cover image

Published In

BioScience

DOI

EISSN

1525-3244

ISSN

0006-3568

Publication Date

December 1, 2020

Volume

70

Issue

12

Start / End Page

1082 / 1092

Related Subject Headings

  • Ecology
  • 41 Environmental sciences
  • 31 Biological sciences
  • 06 Biological Sciences
  • 05 Environmental Sciences