Getting more by asking for less: Linking species interactions to species co-distributions in metacommunities

Peer Community Journal, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 5

Published: Jan. 2, 2025

One of the more difficult challenges in community ecology is inferring species interactions on basis patterns spatial distribution organisms. At its core, problem that distributional reflect 'realized niche', net result a complex interplay processes involving dispersal, environmental, and interaction effects. Disentangling these effects can be at least two distinct levels. From statistical point view, splitting population's variation into contributions from partners, abiotic environment proximity requires 'natural experiments' where all three factors somehow vary independently each other. On conceptual level, it not even clear how to meaningfully separate processes: for instance, could depend state biotic environment, may combine highly non-additive ways. Here we show latter issue arises almost inescapably, simple theoretical setting designed minimize it. Using model competitive metacommunity dynamics direct are assumed context-independent, accurately cross-species correlations major challenge under but most restrictive assumptions. However, also find possible estimate moments (mean value variance) much robustly, if precise values cannot inferred. Consequently, argue study multi-species still informative approaches build distributions parameters predict macroscopic outcomes assembly.

Language: Английский

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Assembly processes inferred from eDNA surveys of a pond metacommunity are consistent with known species ecologies

Ecography, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Feb. 4, 2025

Technological advances are enabling ecologists to conduct large‐scale and structured community surveys. However, it is unclear how best extract information from these novel data. We metabarcoded 48 vertebrate species their eDNA in 320 ponds across England applied the ‘internal structure' approach, which uses joint distribution models (JSDMs) explain compositions as result of four metacommunity processes: environmental filtering, dispersal, interactions, stochasticity. confirm that filtering plays an important role assembly, find species' estimated preferences consistent with known ecologies. also detect negative biotic covariances between fish amphibians after controlling for divergent preferences, predator–prey interactions (likely mediated by predator avoidance behaviour), we high spatial autocorrelation palmate newt, its hypothesised relict distribution. Promisingly, ecologically spatially distinctive sites better explained covariates geographic locations, respectively, revealing where dispersal limitation act more strongly. These results recent proposal applying JSDMs patterns can help reveal relative importance limitation, interaction processes individual species. Our highlight value modern interpretation ecology, embraces fact assembly differ among sites. discuss data allow several study design improvements will strengthen inference observational

Language: Английский

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Rapid Rates of Change in Multiple Biodiversity Measures in Breeding Avian Assemblages

Diversity, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 17(2), P. 127 - 127

Published: Feb. 13, 2025

Species respond to environmental changes at different rates, resulting in no change, increased, or decreased resemblance among species assemblages. We explored the patterns of rate change bird diversity five ecoregions United States across 30 years. characterized breeding avian biodiversity using measures richness and assemblage dissimilarity, detecting same for 50% 70% assemblages, respectively. Fast declines replacement were associated with rapid biotic differentiation within ecoregions, while increases slowed tied high within-ecoregion homogenization rates. Further, it was exceedingly rare any measured slowly over time; most rapid. For assemblages studied here, dissimilarity more common than richness, even though has received research attention. These results underscore need combine capturing aspects (e.g., differentiation) provide greater insight into underlying mechanisms pathways driving patterns.

Language: Английский

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Assembly processes inferred from eDNA surveys of a pond metacommunity are consistent with known species ecologies

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Dec. 12, 2023

Abstract Technological progress is enabling ecologists to create repeated, large-scale, structured, and standardised community surveys. However, it unclear how best extract information from these novel data. We metabarcoded 48 vertebrate species their eDNA in 320 ponds England applied the ‘internal-structure’ approach, which uses joint distribution models explain compositions as outcome of four metacommunity assembly processes: environmental filtering, dispersal, interactions, stochasticity. find that environment plays an important role inferred preferences are consistent with ecologies. also infer negative biotic covariances between fish amphibians, predator-prey high spatial autocorrelation for palmate newt, its hypothesised relictual distribution. Comparing sites metacommunity, environmentally spatially distinctive better explained by covariates geographic locations, respectively, revealing where filtering dispersal limitation act more strongly. Furthermore, belonging different trait groups differ well covariates, covariances, geographical locations distributions. Overall, our results highlight value a modern interpretation ecology embraces fact processes individual sites. discuss data make feasible several study-design improvements will strengthen inference observational

Language: Английский

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