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A canonical metacommunity structure over 3 decades: ecologically consistent but spatially dynamic patterns in a hurricane-prone montane forest

  • Global change ecology – original research
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Abstract

The Anthropocene is a time of rapid change induced by human activities, including pulse and press disturbances that affect the species composition of local communities and connectivity among them, giving rise to spatiotemporal dynamics at multiple scales. We evaluate effects of global warming and repeated intense hurricanes on gastropod metacommunities in montane tropical rainforests of Puerto Rico for each of 28 consecutive years. Specifically, we quantified metacommunity structure each year; assessed effects of global warming, hurricane-induced disturbance, and secondary succession on interannual variation in metacommunity structure; and evaluated legacies of previous land use on metacommunity structure. Gastropods were sampled annually during a 28-year period characterized by disturbance and succession associated with 3 major hurricanes (Hurricanes Hugo, Georges, and Maria). For each year, we evaluated coherence (the extent to which the environmental distributions of species are uninterrupted along a common latent environmental gradient), species range turnover, and species range boundary clumping; and conducted co-occurrence analyses for each pair of species. We used generalized linear mixed-effects model to evaluate long-term responses of the metacommunity to aspects of global warming and disturbance. Metacommunity structure was remarkably stable, with consistent patterns of species co-occurrence. Disturbance, warming, and successional stage had little effect on metacommunity structure. Despite great temporal variation in environmental conditions, groups of species tracked their niche through space and time to maintain the same general structure. Consequently, metacommunity structure was highly resistant and resilient to multiple disturbances, even those that greatly altered forest structure.

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Data availability statement

Gastropod and temperature data are archived publicly and openly available in the Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research data catalog: gastropod data (https://luq.lter.network/data/luqmetadata107 or https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?packageid=knb-lter-luq.107.9996737), temperature data (https://luq.lter.network/data/luqmetadata16 or https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?packageid=knb-lter-luq.16.538551).

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Acknowledgements

This research was facilitated by Grants DEB-0218039, DEB-0620910, DEB-1239764, DEB-1546686, and DEB-1831952 from the National Science Foundation to the Institute of Tropical Ecosystem Studies, University of Puerto Rico, and the International Institute of Tropical Forestry as part of the Long-Term Ecological Research Program. Additional support was provided by the United States Forest Service and the University of Puerto Rico. Integration and synthesis were supported by an OPUS Grant from NSF (DEB-1950643) to MRW. A stipend to EIC was provided by a Research Experience for Undergraduate supplement to DEB-1546686. Support was also provided by the Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering and Institute of the Environment at the University of Connecticut.

Funding

This work was supported by National Science Foundation (DEB-0218039, DEB-0620910, DEB-1239764, DEB-1546686, DEB-1831952, and DEB-1950643). Partial financial support was received from the United States Forest Service, the University of Puerto Rico, and from the Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering and Institute of the Environment at the University of Connecticut.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of the Environment, Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-4210, USA

    Michael R. Willig & Steven J. Presley

  2. Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-4210, USA

    Eve I. Cullerton

Authors
  1. Michael R. Willig
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  2. Steven J. Presley
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  3. Eve I. Cullerton
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Contributions

MRW conceived and managed all aspects of the project. MRW and SJP designed the analytical phases of the work, and SJP and EIC executed quantitative analyses. MRW, SJP, and EIC wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Steven J. Presley.

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The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

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Communicated by Andreas Prinzing.

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Willig, M.R., Presley, S.J. & Cullerton, E.I. A canonical metacommunity structure over 3 decades: ecologically consistent but spatially dynamic patterns in a hurricane-prone montane forest. Oecologia 196, 919–933 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-021-04968-x

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