Ecology Letters (2011) 14: 816–827 Abstract Statistical models are the traditional choice to
test scientific theories when observations, processes or boundary conditions are subject to …

Social welfare, better health care, and urbanization have greatly improved human health
and well‐being. On the other hand, Western societies suffer from the downsides of the …

The microbial colonization profiles on microplastics (MPs) in marine environments have
recently sparked global interest. However, many studies have characterized plastisphere …

For more than 50 y ecologists have believed that spatial heterogeneity in habitat conditions
promotes species richness by increasing opportunities for niche partitioning. However, a …

The heterogeneity of plastisphere and soil can lead to variation in microbiome, potentially
impacting soil functions. Current studies of the plastisphere have mainly focused on …

The outcome of competitive interactions is likely to be influenced by both competitive
dominance (ie niche-based dynamics) and ecological drift (ie neutral dynamics governed by …

While the field of microbial biogeography has largely focused on the contributions of abiotic
factors to community patterns, the potential influence of biotic interactions in structuring …

Biofilms are important in the natural process of plant tissue degradation. However,
fundamental knowledge of biofilm community structure and succession on decaying leaves …

Neutral and niche theories give contrasting explanations for the maintenance of tropical tree
species diversity. Both have some empirical support, but methods to disentangle their effects …

Biobased and biodegradable plastics have been intensively used in agriculture as mulching
films. They provide a distinctive habitat for soil microbes, yet much less is known about the …