Vacant niche was a Natural sciences good articles nominee, but did not meet the good article criteria at the time. There may be suggestions below for improving the article. Once these issues have been addressed, the article can be renominated. Editors may also seek a reassessment of the decision if they believe there was a mistake. | ||||||||||
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From the following text, I am removing the last sentence:
Furthermore, it seems that authors most critical of the concept "vacant niche" really are critical of the view that niche space is largely empty and can easily absorb additional species. They instead adhere to the view that communities are usually in equilibrium (or at least close to it), resulting in a continual strong competition for resources. This view, indeed, is the basis of Darwinian natural selection.
I think it is an oversimplification to say that communities being in equilibrium is the basis for Darwinian natural selection, because I don't think it's clear in what sense natural selection in non-equilibrium communities would be non-"Darwinian". --Allen 03:03, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
Just thought I'd leave a comment in lieu of the GA review - the lede is very impenetrable - even as a scientist it took me three reads to see what it was getting at. The lede should describe the concept briefly in terms a layman can understand easily, and this might be worth looking at. Thanks, Verisimilus T 09:59, 3 June 2007 (UTC)
This article's Good Article promotion has been put on hold. During review, some issues were discovered that can be resolved without a major re-write. This is how the article, as of June 6th, 2007, compares against the six good article criteria:
It's very close to being a GA and the material is quite interesting. Just make it a little more accesible and make the references more clear by resolving the above issues. If you have any questions, post them here or on my talk page. Good luck! Djlayton4 | talk | contribs 11:51, 8 June 2007 (UTC)
Please address these matters soon and then leave a note here showing how they have been resolved. After 48 hours the article should be reviewed again. If these issues are not addressed within 7 days, the article may be failed without further notice. Thank you for your work so far.
I am not sure that either Grinnell (1917) or Elton (1927) left open the possibility of a vacant niche. Grinnell writes (p. 433): "These various circumstances, which emphasize dependence upon cover, and adaptation in physical structure and temperament thereto, go to demonstrate the nature of the ultimate associational niche occupied by the California Thrasher." He identifies a taxon that fills the niche. Elton writes something similar " the 'niche' of an animal means its place in the biotic environment, its relations to food and enemies." Given that both identify an animal as a necessary component of a niche, then without the animal there is no niche. Therefore, there can be no vacant niche. 66.111.125.85 (talk) 00:06, 29 November 2014 (UTC)
I should add to the above with what Hutchinson (1959: 150) said: "Early in the history of a community we may suppose many niches will be empty and invasion will proceed easily..." So, clearly Hutchinson did accept the concept of a vacant niche. In fact, even goes so far as to say that a niche exists before there is any organism to fill it. This has interesting ramifications, which I am not sure he thought about: A vertebrate insectivore with powered flight niche existed when the first forms of life appeared at 3.8 Ga, but the niche was not filled until the appearance of pterosaurs around 210 Ma (mid-late Triassic). The problem with this view is that a niche exists because I can think of it. Therefore, I can create all sorts of niches that can never be filled (an insectivorous shark with powered flight in the atmosphere niche). But does creating a hypothetical niche for Earth or an exoplanet make it valid? Probably not, especially if it can be falsified by what we know to be true. In the case of the hypothetical shark with powered flight no shark is known to have lungs, which almost certainly is required for the high oxygen demands of aerial flight. Thus, the hypothesis can be falsified. But still... Hutchinson, G. E. (1959). Homage to Santa Rosalia or why are there so many kinds of animals?. American Naturalist 93:145-159.
66.111.125.85 (talk) 02:48, 29 November 2014 (UTC)