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Deterministic and stochastic factors jointly drive plant community composition and diversity in isolated wetlands

  • Wetland Ecology
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Abstract

Contemporary plant communities are simultaneously the reflection of current habitat conditions and historic processes. The observed patterns in the diversity, abundance, and composition of these communities are the result of the combination of stochastic and deterministic factors. Deterministic factors such as environmental filters often leverage a greater influence in wetlands, though this may not be the case with geographically isolated communities. We evaluated the influence of environmental factors on plant community composition and richness in the Eastern Highland Rim physiographic region of the Southeastern United States. Plant communities were sampled at 27 open wetland sites. We determined that water permanence, change in water depth, grazing, and site area were important predictors of plant species richness, community composition, and the degree of stochasticity driving plant community composition. There was a negative relationship between site area and richness, and species composition was weakly correlated with geographic distance between sites. There was greater stochasticity in species composition among sites when environmental characteristics differed. The apparent influence of stochastic factors at sites appears to be dependent upon the strength of environmental filters present. This suggests that the assembly of isolated wetland plant communities may be driven first by dispersal limitations and then subsequently by environmental constraints once propagules arrive. A strong environmental filter may limit the successful colonization of new species to a site which can prevent the introduction of non-native species but inhibit restoration efforts. This has important implications for the management and conservation of imperiled wetland ecosystems.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Thomas Murphy, Lawrence Barringer, and Molly Richard for their assistance with data collection in the field. Thanks are also owed to Mason Brock for his help in confirming voucher determinations. Finally, we thank the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Arnold Air Force Base, Redstone Arsenal, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, and private landowners for facilitating research activities on their land.

Funding

Support for this research came from the National Science Foundation (1561737), the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Grant (ENREGWTLNDCON18), the Austin Peay State University College of STEM Graduate Research Grant, and the Austin Peay State University Center of Excellence for Field Biology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Harrisburg, PA, USA

    Claire M. Ciafré

  2. Department of Biology, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN, USA

    Claire M. Ciafré, C. M. Gienger, Evan M. Rehm & L. Dwayne Estes

  3. Center of Excellence for Field Biology, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN, USA

    Claire M. Ciafré, C. M. Gienger & L. Dwayne Estes

  4. Southeastern Grasslands Initiative, Clarksville, TN, USA

    L. Dwayne Estes

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  1. Claire M. Ciafré
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Contributions

CMC conceptualized the study and methodology, acquired permits and funding, collected the data, analyzed the data, and wrote this manuscript. CMG assisted with data analysis and manuscript revisions. EMR assisted with data analysis and manuscript revisions. LDE acquired funding, assisted with study site selection, and assisted with manuscript revisions. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Claire M. Ciafré.

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Permission to conduct field work and collect plant specimens were given by Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (permit no. 2019-026), Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (permit no. 2122), Arnold Air Force Base, Redstone Arsenal, and private landowners.

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Ciafré, C.M., Gienger, C.M., Rehm, E.M. et al. Deterministic and stochastic factors jointly drive plant community composition and diversity in isolated wetlands. Wetlands 42, 71 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-022-01580-4

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