Biological invasions and the neutral theory

Daleo, Pedro; Alberti, Juan; Iribarne, Oscar

doi:10.1111/j.1472-4642.2009.00576.x

Cited by 39 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…If coral biodiversity were the result of neutral dynamics, a new management approach would be required (Clark and McLachlan 2003;Dornelas et al 2006;Daleo et al 2009). For example, relative species abundance patterns in the Caribbean were fundamentally altered after decades of overfishing followed by the mass mortality of one of the last remaining herbivores, the sea urchin Diadema antillarum, during 1982-1983(Lessios et al 1984, and the disease-driven decrease in population of the two dominant Acropora species by 197% across the Caribbean, which drove a collapse in live coral cover (Boulon et al 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species Differences Drive Nonneutral Structure in Pleistocene Coral Communities

Bode

Connolly²,

Pandolfi³

2012

The American Naturalist

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JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. Submitted February 27, 2012; Accepted April 7, 2012; Electronically published October 4, 2012 Online enhancement: appendix.abstract: Although ecological assemblages frequently depart from neutral model predictions, these discrepancies have not been unambiguously attributed to neutral theory's core assumption: that community structure is primarily the result of chance variation in birth, death, speciation, and dispersal, rather than the manifestation of demographic differences among species. Using coral communities in Barbados from four time periods during the Pleistocene, we demonstrate that the neutral theory cannot explain coral community similarity distributions, species' regional abundance distributions, or their local occupancy. Furthermore, discrepancies between the neutral theory and the observed communities can be attributed to violation of the core assumption of species equivalence. In particular, species' variable growth rates are driving departures from neutral predictions. Our results reinforce an understanding of reef coral community assembly that invokes trade-offs in species' demographic strategies. The results further suggest that conservation management actions will fail if they are based on the neutral assumption that different coral species are equally able to create live coral cover in the shallow-water reef environment. These findings highlight the importance of developing biodiversity theory that can parsimoniously incorporate species differences in coral reef communities, rather than further elaborating neutral theory.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species Differences Drive Nonneutral Structure in Pleistocene Coral Communities

Bode

Connolly²,

Pandolfi³

2012

The American Naturalist

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“…The distributions of IAP species is inherently idiosyncratic (Daleo et al, 2009). When many species are considered it appears that the relative clustering of distributions are simply constrained by geometry.…”

Section: Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant invasions as a biogeographical assay: Vegetation biomes constrain the distribution of invasive alien species assemblages

Hui

Rentería

Richardson

et al. 2015

South African Journal of Botany

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a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o Edited by A PottsPlant assemblages define vegetation patterns at different scales, from plant communities at the scale of small plots to broad biomes. Species assemblages are traditionally investigated with a focus on native species, and the spatial patterns and dynamics of alien species assemblages have received much less attention. Here, we explore the biogeography of a subset of invasive alien plants (IAPs) in South Africa and derive several "alien biomes" based on the alien plant assemblages and associated environmental drivers. We propose six hypotheses (the Weed-Shaped Hole; the Biome Decides; Goldilocks; a New World Order; Something In The Way You Move; and Random Tessellation) based on different drivers (disturbance, competition, climate, global change, introduction dynamics, and null respectively) that might explain distribution patterns. In particular, we explore whether invasive plant assemblages are controlled by the same fundamental factors that define native plant assemblages and biomes. A cluster analysis of the spatial distribution of 69 invasive alien plant species revealed five clearly delineated geographic clusters, three of them significantly aligned with the distribution of vegetation biomes (fynbos, grassland and savanna). The major determinants of the distribution of IAP clusters were identified based on a classification tree analysis. We found that broad environmental variables, especially vegetation biomes, explained the distribution of IAP clusters (60% classification accuracy). We could not find a strong relationship with anthropogenic factors, such as land cover or anthromes, even at a finer scale. Our results indicate that vegetation biomes are characterised by hard environmental barriers which also constrain the distribution of IAPs in South Africa. This supports the development of biome-level strategies for the control of alien plant species in South Africa.

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“…Biodiversity and biotic resistance (defined below) are commonly cited as important factors responsible for regulating the ease with which nonindigenous species enter and establish in a new environment (Levine & D'Antonio, 1999;Shurin, 2000;Kennedy et al, 2002;Havel et al, 2005;Stachowicz & Byrnes, 2006;Battaglia et al, 2009;Daleo et al, 2009).…”

Section: The Biodiversity Debatementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most commonly cited mechanism by which increased biodiversity could prevent invasions from occurring is that species-rich communities will utilise the resources available to them more efficiently than speciespoor communities (Elton, 1958;Daleo et al, 2009). This can result in a decrease in the number of "empty niches" available for invaders to move in and occupy (Shea & Chesson, 2002;Mwangi et al, 2007).…”

Section: The Biodiversity Debatementioning

confidence: 99%

Are zooplankton invasions in constructed waters facilitated by simple communities?

Parkes

Duggan

2012

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim Constructed water bodies (e.g. water supply and hydroelectricity dams, ornamental ponds) are invaded at faster rates than natural waters, but the mechanisms that lead to this pattern are uncertain. We aimed to determine whether constructed lakes have lower zooplankton species richness or differ in species composition relative to natural waters, which might allow them to be invaded more readily. Location North Island, New Zealand. Methods Sediment cores were collected from 23 natural and 23 constructed lakes, ponds and reservoirs. Zooplankton diapausing eggs were hatched from sediments to assess species composition and richness. Results Average species richness between natural and constructed water bodies was not significantly different. Stepwise linear regression indicated latitude and maximum depth were significant predictors of species richness in natural waters (P = 0.002 and 0.016, respectively). No significant predictors were elucidated for constructed waters. Species in natural waters consisted mainly of planktonic species, while assemblages in constructed waters were more varied, comprising of more littoral and benthic species, and included many species recorded from only single water bodies. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that trophic state explained the greatest proportion of variation in species composition of natural waters (P = 0.002). Distance to nearest water body and number of water bodies within a 20 km radius (i.e. opportunity) explained the greatest proportion in constructed waters (P = 0.040 and 0.038, respectively). Main conclusions Natural and constructed waters had similar species richness per water body, but community composition varied between them. The core group of species found in natural waters are better adapted to pelagic conditions, and may therefore be better at reducing establishment rates of new arrivals than assemblages in constructed water bodies, which had more varied assemblages. Our study suggests that manipulating new water bodies, so that they develop mature communities faster, may reduce establishment rates of non‐indigenous species.

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Biological invasions and the neutral theory

Cited by 39 publications

References 77 publications

Species Differences Drive Nonneutral Structure in Pleistocene Coral Communities

Species Differences Drive Nonneutral Structure in Pleistocene Coral Communities

Plant invasions as a biogeographical assay: Vegetation biomes constrain the distribution of invasive alien species assemblages

Are zooplankton invasions in constructed waters facilitated by simple communities?

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