Community Processes in Variable Environments The natural world is inherently variable. The physical environment varies on all scales and so do the organisms inhabiting it. Organisms are adapted to this variability, not merely hedging against uncertainty but taking advantage of opportunities that variability brings. My main interest is how the adaptation of organisms to variability promotes species diversity and affects ecosystem functioning. I do this primarily theoretically by developing mathematical models using probability theory and the methods of theoretical statistics. Recent research topics have involved neighborhood competition models, community assembly, invasion resistance, multitrophic diversity maintenance, life-history theory and the various manifestations of temporal and spatial niches, also known as the storage effect and relative nonlinearity of competiton. In addition, I am involved with field projects on annual plants and herbaceous perennial plants. Other systems that are foci of theorizing are coral reef communities, tropical forests, and communities in Mediterranean climates.