On the size distribution of live genera.

@article{Reed2002OnTS,
  title={On the size distribution of live genera.},
  author={William J. Reed and Barry D. Hughes},
  journal={Journal of theoretical biology},
  year={2002},
  volume={217 1},
  pages={
          125-35
        }
}
  • W. Reed, B. Hughes
  • Published 7 July 2002
  • Mathematics
  • Journal of theoretical biology
This article deals with the theoretical size (number of species) distribution of live genera, arising from a simple model of macroevolution in which speciations and extinctions are assumed to occur independently and at random, and in which new genera are formed by the random splitting of existing genera. Mathematically, the distribution is that of the state of a homogeneous birth-and-death process after an exponentially distributed time. An ordinary differential equation for the generating… 
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