  From the experimental data on odd-even staggering of masses, we have shown
that variation of pairing as a function of neutron number plays an important
role in many distinctive features like occurrence of new shell closures, shell
erosion, anomalous reduction of the energy of the first 2+ state and slower
increase in the B(E2, 2_{+}^{1} \rightarrow 0_{+}^{1}) in the neutron-rich
even-even nuclei in different mass regions. New predictions have been made in a
model independent way. Results of theoretical calculations support the
phenomenological findings.
