Zoology: General

A Dictionary of Zoology A Dictionary of Plant Sciences Further reading

Van Valen's ‘law’

A Dictionary of Zoology | 1999 | | Copyright

Van Valen's ‘law’ When plotted as cumulative curves on a logarithmic scale, the duration frequencies of many species tend to show a more or less straight-line relationship with time. In effect, taxa generally become extinct regardless of their age. Duration frequencies vary greatly among different groups (e.g. on average, bivalve genera last 10 times longer than mammalian genera). The ‘law’ is named after its discoverer, L. Van Valen.

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MICHAEL ALLABY. "Van Valen's ‘law’." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "Van Valen's ‘law’." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-VanValenslaw.html

MICHAEL ALLABY. "Van Valen's ‘law’." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-VanValenslaw.html

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Van Valen's ‘law’

A Dictionary of Plant Sciences | 1998 | | Copyright

Van Valen's ‘law’ When plotted as cumulative curves on a logarithmic scale, the duration frequencies of many species tend to show a more or less straight-line relationship with time. In effect, taxa generally become extinct regardless of their age. The ‘law’ is named after its discoverer, L. Van Valen.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

MICHAEL ALLABY. "Van Valen's ‘law’." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "Van Valen's ‘law’." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-VanValenslaw.html

MICHAEL ALLABY. "Van Valen's ‘law’." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-VanValenslaw.html

Learn more about citation styles