It should be noted that transition metals certainly bind to RNAs and might have regulatory or early biotic roles, and in some cases, they can support high activity in ribozymes, but evidence for transition-metal-supported ribozyme activity in vivo is not established.
We emphasize, however, that the PV variant of the Tetrahymena ribozyme represents merely a proof-of-principle in this regard: we are not suggesting that this particular ribozyme had any proto-biotic role.
The Red Queen and the Court Jester: species diversity and the role of biotic and abiotic factors through time.
The Red Queen and the Court Jester: Species diversity and the role of biotic and abiotic factors through time.
The red queen and the court jester: species diversity and the role of biotic and abiotic factors through time.
The role of biotic interactions, such as predation and competition, in determining range boundaries remains poorly understood2,3, even though such interactions can have strong effects4.
Wisz, M. S. et al. The role of biotic interactions in shaping distributions and realised assemblages of species: implications for species distribution modelling.
Shevtsov, J., Wickings, K., Patten, B. (2013) Evaluating the role of biotic interactions in structuring communities using a gradient analysis of multiple interacting guilds.
While the former aimed at developing guidelines for impact mitigation of beach nourishment, the latter aimed at elucidating the role of biotic interactions in sediment preference.
Conversely, lophotrochozoan and gastropod assemblages closely matched the patterns observed for full communities in permanent wetlands, suggesting a role for biotic interactions.
I am especially interested in the role that biotic interactions and environmental heterogeneity play in the morphological, functional, and genetic diversity of tropical trees, and how these factors influence the distribution and speciation of plants.
