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Stochastic assembly in a subtropical forest chronosequence: evidence from contrasting changes of species, phylogenetic and functional dissimilarity over succession
- Source :
- Scientific Reports
- Publication Year :
- 2016
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2016.
-
Abstract
- Deterministic and stochastic processes jointly determine the community dynamics of forest succession. However, it has been widely held in previous studies that deterministic processes dominate forest succession. Furthermore, inference of mechanisms for community assembly may be misleading if based on a single axis of diversity alone. In this study, we evaluated the relative roles of deterministic and stochastic processes along a disturbance gradient by integrating species, functional, and phylogenetic beta diversity in a subtropical forest chronosequence in Southeastern China. We found a general pattern of increasing species turnover, but little-to-no change in phylogenetic and functional turnover over succession at two spatial scales. Meanwhile, the phylogenetic and functional beta diversity were not significantly different from random expectation. This result suggested a dominance of stochastic assembly, contrary to the general expectation that deterministic processes dominate forest succession. On the other hand, we found significant interactions of environment and disturbance and limited evidence for significant deviations of phylogenetic or functional turnover from random expectations for different size classes. This result provided weak evidence of deterministic processes over succession. Stochastic assembly of forest succession suggests that post-disturbance restoration may be largely unpredictable and difficult to control in subtropical forests.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
Stochastic Processes
Tropical Climate
Multidisciplinary
Phylogenetic tree
Ecology
Chronosequence
Beta diversity
Biodiversity
Ecological succession
Forests
Biology
010603 evolutionary biology
01 natural sciences
Article
Quantitative Trait, Heritable
Species Specificity
Phylogenetics
Dominance (ecology)
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Cyclic succession
Phylogeny
010606 plant biology & botany
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 20452322
- Volume :
- 6
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Scientific Reports
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....1d5247195654dd1f4878f710b462b546