ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT (BIOL 354) – Spring 2021

Connell (1978) Questions for Discussion

Instructions: Type your answers to the questions below and submit via Turnitin through SDSU
Blackboard before the beginning of your discussion section each week. Put your answers into
your own words, DO NOT just copy text straight from the paper itself. Each assignment is worth
a total of 10 points. Remember to delete the question before submitting via Turnitin to avoid
high plagiarism scores.

1. Describe the equal chance hypothesis in your own words (2 pts)

2. Explain why, according to the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, diversity declines

when disturbance occurs too frequently or not frequently enough (2 pts)

3. Describe the methods presented for testing the niche-diversification hypothesis, and the
potential limitations (2 pts).

4. Is it possible that more than one hypothesis is correct? Why? (2 pts)

5. Describe how the intermediate hypothesis applies to coral reefs and tropical forests. (2
pts).

6. What are other hypotheses for why there is greater diversity in tropical rainforests and
coral reefs? (2 pts)

7. Explain the importance of the “edges” of disturbance. How do the species on the edges
contribute to recovery from a disturbance? (2 pts)
8. Do you think Connell’s hypotheses apply to less diverse ecosystems such as the Arctic or
deep ocean? Explain. (2 pts)

9. Which of these hypotheses, if any, can be applied to motile (non-sessile) organisms?

How would the ability to move affect the overall diversity? (2 pts).

10. Write out the citation for this journal article using the format of the journal Ecology (2
pts).