Disturbance and resource availability act differently on the same suite of plant traits: Revisiting assembly hypotheses
J.C. Douma*, B. Shipley, J.P.M. Witte, R. Aerts, P.M. van Bodegom
Understanding the mechanisms of trait selection at the scale of plant communities is a crucial step toward predicting community assembly. Although it is commonly assumed that disturbance and resource availability constrain separate suites of traits, representing the regenerative and established phases, respectively, a quantification and test of this accepted hypothesis is still lacking due to limitations of traditional statistical techniques. In this paper we quantify, using structural equation modeling (SEM), the relative contributions of disturbance and resource availability to the selection of suites of traits at the community scale. Our model specifies and reflects previously obtained ecological insights, taking disturbance and nutrient availability as central drivers affecting leaf, allometric, seed, and phenology traits in 156 (semi-) natural plant communities throughout The Netherlands. The common hypothesis positing that disturbance and resource availability each affect a set of mutually independent traits was not consistent with the data. Instead, our final model shows that most traits are strongly affected by both drivers. In addition, trait-trait constraints are more important in community assembly than environmental drivers in half of the cases. Both aspects of trait selection are crucial for correctly predicting ecosystem processes and community assembly, and they provide new insights into hitherto underappreciated ecological interactions.
https://doi.org/10.1890/10-1961.1
Canopy height
Community assembly
Germination onset
Leaf economic traits
Relative growth rate
Seed mass
Structural equation modeling
10.1890/10-1961.1
Fingerprint Dive into the research topics of 'Disturbance and resource availability act differently on the same suite of plant traits: Revisiting assembly hypotheses'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
resource availability Earth & Environmental Sciences
structural equation modeling Agriculture & Biology
disturbance Earth & Environmental Sciences
nutrient availability Agriculture & Biology
Netherlands Agriculture & Biology
plant community Earth & Environmental Sciences
phenology Agriculture & Biology
Douma, J. C., Shipley, B., Witte, J. P. M., Aerts, R., & van Bodegom, P. M. (2012). Disturbance and resource availability act differently on the same suite of plant traits: Revisiting assembly hypotheses. Ecology, 93(4), 825-835. https://doi.org/10.1890/10-1961.1
Douma, J.C. ; Shipley, B. ; Witte, J.P.M. ; Aerts, R. ; van Bodegom, P.M. / Disturbance and resource availability act differently on the same suite of plant traits : Revisiting assembly hypotheses. In: Ecology. 2012 ; Vol. 93, No. 4. pp. 825-835.
@article{5732b33ba37b45bf9c22913e61dbfd0c,
title = "Disturbance and resource availability act differently on the same suite of plant traits: Revisiting assembly hypotheses",
abstract = "Understanding the mechanisms of trait selection at the scale of plant communities is a crucial step toward predicting community assembly. Although it is commonly assumed that disturbance and resource availability constrain separate suites of traits, representing the regenerative and established phases, respectively, a quantification and test of this accepted hypothesis is still lacking due to limitations of traditional statistical techniques. In this paper we quantify, using structural equation modeling (SEM), the relative contributions of disturbance and resource availability to the selection of suites of traits at the community scale. Our model specifies and reflects previously obtained ecological insights, taking disturbance and nutrient availability as central drivers affecting leaf, allometric, seed, and phenology traits in 156 (semi-) natural plant communities throughout The Netherlands. The common hypothesis positing that disturbance and resource availability each affect a set of mutually independent traits was not consistent with the data. Instead, our final model shows that most traits are strongly affected by both drivers. In addition, trait-trait constraints are more important in community assembly than environmental drivers in half of the cases. Both aspects of trait selection are crucial for correctly predicting ecosystem processes and community assembly, and they provide new insights into hitherto underappreciated ecological interactions.",
keywords = "Canopy height, Community assembly, Disturbance, Germination onset, Leaf economic traits, Nutrient availability, Relative growth rate, Seed mass, Structural equation modeling, The Netherlands",
author = "J.C. Douma and B. Shipley and J.P.M. Witte and R. Aerts and {van Bodegom}, P.M.",
doi = "10.1890/10-1961.1",
journal = "Ecology",
publisher = "Ecological Society of America",
Douma, JC, Shipley, B, Witte, JPM, Aerts, R & van Bodegom, PM 2012, 'Disturbance and resource availability act differently on the same suite of plant traits: Revisiting assembly hypotheses', Ecology, vol. 93, no. 4, pp. 825-835. https://doi.org/10.1890/10-1961.1
Disturbance and resource availability act differently on the same suite of plant traits : Revisiting assembly hypotheses. / Douma, J.C.; Shipley, B.; Witte, J.P.M.; Aerts, R.; van Bodegom, P.M.
In: Ecology, Vol. 93, No. 4, 04.2012, p. 825-835.
T1 - Disturbance and resource availability act differently on the same suite of plant traits
T2 - Revisiting assembly hypotheses
AU - Douma, J.C.
AU - Shipley, B.
AU - Witte, J.P.M.
AU - Aerts, R.
AU - van Bodegom, P.M.
N2 - Understanding the mechanisms of trait selection at the scale of plant communities is a crucial step toward predicting community assembly. Although it is commonly assumed that disturbance and resource availability constrain separate suites of traits, representing the regenerative and established phases, respectively, a quantification and test of this accepted hypothesis is still lacking due to limitations of traditional statistical techniques. In this paper we quantify, using structural equation modeling (SEM), the relative contributions of disturbance and resource availability to the selection of suites of traits at the community scale. Our model specifies and reflects previously obtained ecological insights, taking disturbance and nutrient availability as central drivers affecting leaf, allometric, seed, and phenology traits in 156 (semi-) natural plant communities throughout The Netherlands. The common hypothesis positing that disturbance and resource availability each affect a set of mutually independent traits was not consistent with the data. Instead, our final model shows that most traits are strongly affected by both drivers. In addition, trait-trait constraints are more important in community assembly than environmental drivers in half of the cases. Both aspects of trait selection are crucial for correctly predicting ecosystem processes and community assembly, and they provide new insights into hitherto underappreciated ecological interactions.
AB - Understanding the mechanisms of trait selection at the scale of plant communities is a crucial step toward predicting community assembly. Although it is commonly assumed that disturbance and resource availability constrain separate suites of traits, representing the regenerative and established phases, respectively, a quantification and test of this accepted hypothesis is still lacking due to limitations of traditional statistical techniques. In this paper we quantify, using structural equation modeling (SEM), the relative contributions of disturbance and resource availability to the selection of suites of traits at the community scale. Our model specifies and reflects previously obtained ecological insights, taking disturbance and nutrient availability as central drivers affecting leaf, allometric, seed, and phenology traits in 156 (semi-) natural plant communities throughout The Netherlands. The common hypothesis positing that disturbance and resource availability each affect a set of mutually independent traits was not consistent with the data. Instead, our final model shows that most traits are strongly affected by both drivers. In addition, trait-trait constraints are more important in community assembly than environmental drivers in half of the cases. Both aspects of trait selection are crucial for correctly predicting ecosystem processes and community assembly, and they provide new insights into hitherto underappreciated ecological interactions.
KW - Canopy height
KW - Community assembly
KW - Disturbance
KW - Germination onset
KW - Leaf economic traits
KW - Nutrient availability
KW - Relative growth rate
KW - Seed mass
KW - Structural equation modeling
KW - The Netherlands
U2 - 10.1890/10-1961.1
DO - 10.1890/10-1961.1
JO - Ecology
JF - Ecology
Douma JC, Shipley B, Witte JPM, Aerts R, van Bodegom PM. Disturbance and resource availability act differently on the same suite of plant traits: Revisiting assembly hypotheses. Ecology. 2012 Apr;93(4):825-835. https://doi.org/10.1890/10-1961.1