Phylogenetic relatedness predicts priority effects in nectar yeast communities.

ABSTRACT: Priority effects, in which the outcome of species interactions depends on the order of their arrival, are a key component of many models of community assembly. Yet, much remains unknown about how priority effects vary in strength among species in a community and what factors explain this variation. We experimented with a model natural community in laboratory microcosms that allowed us to quantify the strength of priority effects for most of the yeast species found in the floral nectar of a hummingbird-pollinated shrub at a biological preserve in northern California. We found that priority effects were widespread, with late-arriving species experiencing strong negative effects from early-arriving species. However, the magnitude of priority effects varied across species pairs. This variation

SUBMITTER: Peay KG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3248732 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature