Jensen's inequality predicts effects of environmental variation

被引：618

作者：

Ruel, JJ

Ayres, MP

机构：

[1] No Arizona Univ, Dept Biol Sci, Flagstaff, AZ 86011 USA

[2] Dartmouth Coll, Dept Biol Sci, Hanover, NH 03755 USA

来源：

TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION | 1999年 / 14卷 / 09期

关键词：

D O I：

10.1016/S0169-5347(99)01664-X

中图分类号：

Q14 [生态学（生物生态学）];

学科分类号：

071012 ; 0713 ;

摘要：

Many biologists now recognize that environmental variance can exert important effects on patterns and processes in nature that are independent of average conditions. Jensen's inequality is a mathematical proof that is seldom mentioned in the ecological literature but which provides a powerful tool for predicting some direct effects of environmental variance in biological systems. Qualitative predictions can be derived from the form of the relevant response functions (accelerating versus decelerating). Knowledge of the frequency distribution (especially the variance) of the driving variables allows quantitative estimates of the effects. Jensen's inequality has relevance in every field of biology that includes nonlinear processes.

引用

页码：361 / 366

页数：6

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