A general framework for species-abundance distributions: Linking traits and dispersal to explain commonness and rarity.

ABSTRACT: Species-abundance distributions (SADs) describe the spectrum of commonness and rarity in a community. Beyond the universal observation that most species are rare and only a few common, more-precise description of SAD shape is controversial. Furthermore, the mechanisms behind SADs and how they vary along environmental gradients remain unresolved. We lack a general, non-neutral theory of SADs. Here, we develop a trait-based framework, focusing on a local community coupled to the region by dispersal. The balance of immigration and exclusion determines abundances, which vary over orders-of-magnitude. The local trait-abundance distribution (TAD) reflects a transformation of the regional TAD. The left-tail of the SAD depends on scaling exponents of the exclusion function and the regional species

SUBMITTER: Koffel T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9826146 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature