Marine Benthic Community Assembly Is Taxonomically Stochastic but Functionally Deterministic in a Dynamic Coastal Sea.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the balance between deterministic and stochastic processes in community assembly is crucial for interpreting ecological community dynamics. Moreover, it provides perspective for conservation and management actions, as deterministic processes can be subject to targeted interventions, but stochastic processes are less manageable. Through a spatially explicit macrozoobenthic monitoring campaign consisting of 1323 sampling locations in the Dutch Wadden Sea, we examined the relative importance of deterministic and stochastic processes, including the role of hydrodynamic disturbance gradients. We found species-based community assembly to be mainly driven by stochastic processes, while trait-based assembly was more deterministic and environmentally driven. Environmental disturbance

SUBMITTER: Sloots M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12490742 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature