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Species divergence and trait convergence in experimental plant community assembly

Fukami, T., Bezemer, T. M., Mortimer, S. R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6160-6741 and van der Putten, W. H. (2005) Species divergence and trait convergence in experimental plant community assembly. Ecology Letters, 8 (12). pp. 1283-1290. ISSN 1461-023X

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To link to this item DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2005.00829.x

Abstract/Summary

Despite decades of research, it remains controversial whether ecological communities converge towards a common structure determined by environmental conditions irrespective of assembly history. Here, we show experimentally that the answer depends on the level of community organization considered. In a 9-year grassland experiment, we manipulated initial plant composition on abandoned arable land and subsequently allowed natural colonization. Initial compositional variation caused plant communities to remain divergent in species identities, even though these same communities converged strongly in species traits. This contrast between species divergence and trait convergence could not be explained by dispersal limitation or community neutrality alone. Our results show that the simultaneous operation of trait-based assembly rules and species-level priority effects drives community assembly, making it both deterministic and historically contingent, but at different levels of community organization.

Item Type:Article
Refereed:Yes
Divisions:Life Sciences > School of Agriculture, Policy and Development
Interdisciplinary centres and themes > Soil Research Centre
ID Code:8525
Uncontrolled Keywords:alternative states, assembly history, assembly rules, community, convergence, dispersal limitation, ecological restoration, historical, contingency, neutral theory, priority effects, succession, FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY, NATURAL COMMUNITIES, ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES, DESERT, RODENTS, SUCCESSION, RULES, RESTORATION, ECOLOGY, STABILITY, FIELDS

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