How many species have mass M?

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dc.creatorClauset, Aaron
dc.creatorSchwab, David J.
dc.creatorRedner, Sidney
dc.date2008-08-26
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T12:32:20Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T12:32:20Z
dc.descriptionWithin large taxonomic assemblages, the number of species with adult body mass M is characterized by a broad but asymmetric distribution, with the largest mass being orders of magnitude larger than the typical mass. This canonical shape can be explained by cladogenetic diffusion that is bounded below by a hard limit on viable species mass and above by extinction risks that increase weakly with mass. Here we introduce and analytically solve a simplified cladogenetic diffusion model. When appropriately parameterized, the diffusion-reaction equation predicts mass distributions that are in good agreement with data on 4002 terrestrial mammal from the late Quaternary and 8617 extant bird species. Under this model, we show that a specific tradeoff between the strength of within-lineage drift toward larger masses (Cope's rule) and the increased risk of extinction from increased mass is necessary to produce realistic mass distributions for both taxa. We then make several predictions about the evolution of avian species masses.
dc.description7 pages, 3 figures
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/0808.3433
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/0808.3433
dc.identifierAmerican Naturalist 173, 256-263 (2009)
dc.identifierdoi:10.1086/595760
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/216751
dc.subjectPopulations and Evolution
dc.subjectBiological Physics
dc.subjectData Analysis, Statistics and Probability
dc.titleHow many species have mass M?
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