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Science 3 February 2006:
Vol. 311. no. 5761, p. 610
DOI: 10.1126/science.1121914
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Technical Comments

Comment on "Neutral Ecological Theory Reveals Isolation and Rapid Speciation in a Biodiversity Hot Spot"

Rampal S. Etienne,1* Andrew M. Latimer,2 John A. Silander, Jr.,2 Richard M. Cowling3

Latimer et al. (Reports, 9 September 2005, p. 1722) used an approximate likelihood function to estimate parameters of Hubbell's neutral model of biodiversity. Reanalysis with the exact likelihood not only yields different estimates but also shows that two similar likelihood maxima for very different parameter combinations can occur. This reveals a limitation of using species abundance data to gain insight into speciation and dispersal.

1 Community and Conservation Ecology Group, University of Groningen, Box 14, 9750 AA Haren, The Netherlands.
2 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 75 North Eagleville Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
3 Department of Botany, Terrestrial Ecology Research Unit, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Box 77000, Port Elizabeth 6031, South Africa.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: r.s.etienne{at}rug.nl

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