Disturbance reinforces community assembly processes differentially across spatial scales.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

There is a paucity of empirical research and a lack of predictive models concerning the interplay between spatial scale and disturbance as they affect the structure and assembly of plant communities. We proposed and tested a trait dispersion-based conceptual model hypothesizing that disturbance reinforces assembly processes differentially across spatial scales. Disturbance would reinforce functional divergence at the small scale (neighbourhood), would not affect functional dispersion at the intermediate scale (patch) and would reinforce functional convergence at the large scale (site). We also evaluated functional and species richness of native and exotic plants to infer underlying processes. Native and exotic species richness were expected to increase and decre

SUBMITTER: Escobedo VM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7789110 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature