SCIENCE@home

A process-based framework for metacommunity ecology

P. Thompson,L. Guzman,L. De Meester,Z. Horváth,R. Ptáčník,B. Vanschoenwinkel,D. Viana,Jonathan M. Chase

Published 2019 in bioRxiv

ABSTRACT

The metacommunity concept has greatly advanced our understanding of how spatial dynamics shape ecological communities. To date, this framework has emphasized discrete differences between mechanisms structuring metacommunities (e.g. niche vs. neutral), despite the recognition that assembly processes are continuous. Here we present a fundamental reconception of the framework that explicitly links local coexistence theory to metacommunity theory and allows for a continuous range of competitive metacommunity dynamics. These dynamics emerge from the underlying processes that shape the dynamics of ecological communities: 1) density-independent responses to abiotic conditions, 2) density-dependent biotic interactions, and 3) dispersal. We also incorporate stochasticity in the demographic realization of each of these processes. The traditional metacommunity archetypes exist as discrete regions within this space, but our framework highlights a range of dynamics that are missed in classic metacommunity theory. We formalize this framework using a simulation model that explores the full range of competitive metacommunity dynamics by varying the strength of the underlying processes. We illustrate how the different processes interactively shape the diversity, functioning, and stability of metacommunities. This process-based framework extends the rich history of metacommunity ecology and can be used to generate testable hypotheses on the processes structuring metacommunities in nature.

PUBLICATION RECORD

  • Publication year

    2019

  • Venue

    bioRxiv

  • Publication date

    2019-11-07

  • Fields of study

    Biology, Computer Science, Environmental Science

  • Identifiers
    DOI 10.1101/832170
  • External record

    Open on Semantic Scholar

  • Source metadata

    Semantic Scholar

CITATION MAP

EXTRACTION MAP

CLAIMS

  • No claims are published for this paper.

CONCEPTS

  • No concepts are published for this paper.

REFERENCES

Showing 1-84 of 84 references · Page 1 of 1

CITED BY

Showing 1-6 of 6 citing papers · Page 1 of 1