Phylogenetic community structure during succession: Evidence from three Neotropical forest sites |
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| Authors: | Susan G. Letcher Robin L. Chazdon Ana C.S. Andrade Frans Bongers Michiel van Breugel Bryan Finegan Susan G. Laurance Rita C.G. Mesquita Miguel Martínez-Ramos G. Bruce Williamson |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Environmental Studies, Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY 10577, USA;2. Organization for Tropical Studies, Apartado 676-2050, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, Costa Rica;3. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 75 North Eagleville Road, Storrs, CT 06269-3043, USA;4. Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia, C.P. 478, Manaus, AM 69011-970, Brazil;5. Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, Centre for Ecosystem Studies, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands;6. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 2072, Balboa, Panama;7. División de Investigación y Desarrollo, Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza, Apartado 93-7170, Turrialba, Costa Rica;8. School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD 4878, Australia;9. Centro de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro No. 8701 Col. Ex-Hacienda de San José de La Huerta, C.P. 58190, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico;10. Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, USA |
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| Abstract: | ![]()
The phylogenetic structure of communities can reveal forces shaping community assembly, but the vast majority of work on phylogenetic community structure has been conducted in mature ecosystems. Here, we present an analysis of the phylogenetic structure of three Neotropical rain forest communities undergoing succession. In each site, the net relatedness of the community is initially high and consistently declines during succession. This pattern is evident both when comparing plots of different age classes and when comparing stem size classes within each plot: the oldest plots and the youngest stem cohorts, representing the most advanced stages of succession, have the lowest relatedness. Our results suggest that succession leaves a distinct signature in the phylogenetic structure of communities, which may reflect an increasing role of biotic interactions in community assembly during succession. We discuss theoretical explanations for the decline in community phylogenetic relatedness during succession, and suggest directions for future study. |
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