Metacommunity ecology considers both the local- and regional-scale factors that influence community assembly. Previous work has identified dispersal, niche differentiation, and habitat heterogeneity as crucial parameters that determine metacommunity dynamics and stability in response to disturbance. However, it remains unclear whether the parameter combinations that are predicted to confer stability do so over long time scales and across ecosystem types. The ecosystems in the NSF Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) network vary in habitat heterogeneity; likewise, the species assemblages within them exhibit varying degrees of niche differentiation and dispersal ability. Using LTER datasets, the investigators aim to synthesize the general relationships between metacommunity parameters and stability across a diverse range of ecosystems and over long temporal scales. To do so, they will characterize metacommunity stability across a disturbance gradient, estimate metacommunity parameters, assess how well estimated parameters predict stability over time, and parameterize metacommunity simulation models with LTER data to identify the major predictors of metacommunity stability. Final products from this working group include an R package containing metacommunity time series datasets and relevant analyses, a synthesis of metacommunity stability and sensitivity to disturbance across the LTER network, and a prospectus detailing the application of simulations for understanding metacommunity dynamics.
Top Stories
Unintentional Oasis – An Accidental Urban Wetland in the Sonoran Desert
Grassland birds show resilience in the face of drought
Positive effect of fiddler crabs on saltmarsh grass reverses in expanded range
Adelie penguins go hungry as climate change limits their prey
Importance and Unanticipated Use of Biological Collections in Long-Term Ecological Research
Announcing ltertools: An R Package By and For the LTER Community
Announcing Mentoring Community-of-Practice
Remaining Relevant: The Hubbard Brook Online Book
A picturesque study system—notes from the SBC LTER
New LTER initiatives broaden participation in LTER Science