## Problem 197 — rank:306

**Title:** Species–area scaling mechanism

**Added binding assumptions (LaTeX):**

```latex
For a finite regional pool, expected richness is bounded by its size, so an exact positive-exponent power law cannot hold on all scales. Fix the area interval, detection model and smoothness assumptions for differentiating the expected curve. The void-probability identity is standard; the unresolved inference is which spatial mechanisms predict it and its approximate scaling in an independent landscape.
```

**Direct edits:** 0. **Fresh external checks:** None; supplied sources retained as provenance.