Jef Akst | May 26, 2010 | 4 min read
The environment is not the only key factor in determining which species will populate a given habitat -- random, stochastic processes may also play a significant role, according to a study published online today (May 27) on the Science Express website. Study author linkurl:Jonathan Chase,;http://www.biology.wustl.edu/faculty/chase/opening_page.htm a community ecologist at Washington University in Saint Louis, talked with The Scientist about why randomness is so important to species composition,