families

[Allan Shanfield]

Dear Dr. Schlemmermeyer,

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question. It sort of sounds like
the old Clementsian vs. the better Gleasonian ancient argument (and "group
selection" too).

Still, I am especially piqued by the statement "Several authors have
suggested that taxa from diverse biotas have a general competititive
superiority, perhaps related to the evolution of defenses against a
greater variety of predators and disease organisms" (Ricklefs and
Schluter, 1993) in: "Spp. Diversity in Biological Communities". How does
this generality relate to who wins in the collision of floras?..

With Best Wishes,

Allan Shanfield


c/o Dept. of Env. Hort.
1 Shields Ave.
UC Davis
Davis, CA 95616