The mechanisms underlying plant succession remain highly debated. Due to the local scope of most studies, we lack a global quantification of the relative importance of species addition 'versus' replacement. We assessed the role of these processes in the variation (β-diversity) of plant communities colonizing the forelands of 46 retreating glaciers worldwide, using both environmental DNA and traditional surveys. Our findings indicate that addition and replacement concur in determining community changes in deglaciated sites, but their relative importance varied over time. Taxa addition dominated immediately after glacier retreat, as expected in harsh environments, while replacement became more important for late-successional communities. These changes were aligned with total β-diversity changes, which were more pronounced between early-successional communities than between late-successional communities (>50 yr since glacier retreat). Despite the complexity of community assembly during plant succession, the observed global pattern suggests a generalized shift from the dominance of facilitation and/or stochastic processes in early-successional communities to a predominance of competition later on.

The importance of species addition ‘versus’ replacement varies over succession in plant communities after glacier retreat / I. Cantera, A. Carteron, A. Guerrieri, S. Marta, A. Bonin, R. Ambrosini, F. Anthelme, R.S. Azzoni, P. Almond, P. Alviz Gazitúa, S. Cauvy-Fraunié, J.L. Ceballos Lievano, P. Chand, M. Chand Sharma, J. Clague, J.A. Cochachín Rapre, C. Compostella, R. Cruz Encarnación, O. Dangles, A. Eger, S. Erokhin, A. Franzetti, L. Gielly, F. Gili, M. Gobbi, S. Hågvar, N. Khedim, R.I. Meneses, G. Peyre, F. Pittino, A. Rabatel, N. Urseitova, Y. Yang, V. Zaginaev, A. Zerboni, A. Zimmer, P. Taberlet, G.A. Diolaiuti, J. Poulenard, W. Thuiller, M. Caccianiga, G.F. Ficetola. - In: NATURE PLANTS. - ISSN 2055-0278. - 10:2(2024 Feb), pp. 256-267. [10.1038/s41477-023-01609-4]

The importance of species addition ‘versus’ replacement varies over succession in plant communities after glacier retreat

I. Cantera
Primo
;
A. Carteron;A. Guerrieri;S. Marta;R. Ambrosini;R.S. Azzoni;C. Compostella;F. Gili;M. Gobbi;A. Zerboni;G.A. Diolaiuti;M. Caccianiga
Penultimo
;
G.F. Ficetola
Ultimo
2024

Abstract

The mechanisms underlying plant succession remain highly debated. Due to the local scope of most studies, we lack a global quantification of the relative importance of species addition 'versus' replacement. We assessed the role of these processes in the variation (β-diversity) of plant communities colonizing the forelands of 46 retreating glaciers worldwide, using both environmental DNA and traditional surveys. Our findings indicate that addition and replacement concur in determining community changes in deglaciated sites, but their relative importance varied over time. Taxa addition dominated immediately after glacier retreat, as expected in harsh environments, while replacement became more important for late-successional communities. These changes were aligned with total β-diversity changes, which were more pronounced between early-successional communities than between late-successional communities (>50 yr since glacier retreat). Despite the complexity of community assembly during plant succession, the observed global pattern suggests a generalized shift from the dominance of facilitation and/or stochastic processes in early-successional communities to a predominance of competition later on.
Settore BIO/05 - Zoologia
Settore BIO/03 - Botanica Ambientale e Applicata
Settore BIO/02 - Botanica Sistematica
Settore GEO/04 - Geografia Fisica e Geomorfologia
   Reconstructing community dynamics and ecosystem functioning after glacial retreat (IceCommunities)
   IceCommunities
   EUROPEAN COMMISSION
   H2020
   772284

   Vanishing habitats: conservation priorities for glacier-related biodiversity threatened by climate change (PrioritIce)
   PrioritIce
   MINISTERO DELL'UNIVERSITA' E DELLA RICERCA
   Biodiversa2021-280

   The European Biodiversity Partnership
   Biodiversa-plus
   European Commission
   Horizon Europe Framework Programme
   101052342
feb-2024
Article (author)
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
cantera_plant_successions_submitted.pdf

embargo fino al 17/07/2024

Descrizione: Article
Tipologia: Post-print, accepted manuscript ecc. (versione accettata dall'editore)
Dimensione 832.22 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
832.22 kB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia
s41477-023-01609-4.pdf

accesso riservato

Descrizione: Article
Tipologia: Publisher's version/PDF
Dimensione 7.97 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
7.97 MB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia
Pubblicazioni consigliate

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/1040895
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 0
  • Scopus 2
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 2
social impact