Dispersal mode and spatial extent influence distance-decay patterns in pond metacommunities

PloS One
Irene TorneroStéphanie Gascón

Abstract

Assuming that dispersal modes or abilities can explain the different responses of organisms to geographic or environmental distances, the distance-decay relationship is a useful tool to evaluate the relative role of local environmental structuring versus regional control in community composition. Based on continuing the current theoretical framework on metacommunity dynamics and based on the predictive effect of distance on community similarity, we proposed a new framework that includes the effect of spatial extent. In addition, we tested the validity of our proposal by studying the community similarity among three biotic groups with different dispersal modes (macrofaunal active and passive dispersers and plants) from two pond networks, where one network had a small spatial extent, and the other network had an extent that was 4 times larger. Both pond networks have similar environmental variability. Overall, we found that environmental distance had larger effects than geographical distances in both pond networks. Moreover, our results suggested that species sorting is the main type of metacommunity dynamics shaping all biotic groups when the spatial extent is larger. In contrast, when the spatial extent is smaller, the observed...Continue Reading

References

Jan 11, 2003·Science·Hanna TuomistoMarkku Yli-Halla
Aug 29, 2003·Nature·John Harte
May 19, 2006·Ecology Letters·Marti J AndersonBrian H McArdle
Jul 3, 2007·Nature Reviews. Microbiology·Maureen A O'Malley
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Dec 9, 2008·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Ellen I DamschenJoshua J Tewksbury
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Jun 7, 2011·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·Jürg B LogueUNKNOWN Metacommunity Working Group
Sep 4, 2012·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Jani Heino
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R package
ENV
Google Maps Area Calculator Tool
BIO
PERMDISP
Google Maps
R package ‘ ecodist ’
simba

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