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Species Distributions, Quantum Theory, and the Enhancement of Biodiversity Measures

Real, Raimundo, Barbosa, A. Márcia, Bull, Joseph (2016) Species Distributions, Quantum Theory, and the Enhancement of Biodiversity Measures. Systematic Biology, 66 (3). pp. 453-462. ISSN 1063-5157. E-ISSN 1076-836X. (doi:10.1093/sysbio/syw072) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:63803)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syw072

Abstract

Species distributions are typically represented by records of their observed occurrence at a given spatial and temporal scale. Such records are inevitably incomplete and contingent on the spatial–temporal circumstances under which the observations were made. Moreover, organisms may respond differently to similar environmental conditions at different places or moments, so their distribution is, in principle, not completely predictable. We argue that this uncertainty exists, and warrants considering species distributions as analogous to coherent quantum objects, whose distributions are better described by a wavefunction rather than by a set of locations. We use this to extend the existing concept of “dark diversity”, which incorporates into biodiversity metrics those species that could, but which have not yet been observed to, inhabit a region—thereby developing the idea of “potential biodiversity”. We show how conceptualizing species’ distributions in this way could help overcome important weaknesses in current biodiversity metrics, both in theory and by using a worked case study of mammal distributions in Spain over the last decade. We propose that considerable theoretical advances could eventually be gained through interdisciplinary collaboration between biogeographers and quantum physicists.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1093/sysbio/syw072
Uncontrolled keywords: Biogeography, favorability, physics, predictability, probability, species occurrence, uncertainty, wavefunction
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Anthropology and Conservation
Depositing User: Joseph Bull
Date Deposited: 05 Oct 2017 09:18 UTC
Last Modified: 17 Aug 2022 12:22 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/63803 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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