Patterns of Trophic-level Diversity Associated with Herbaceous Dune Vegetation Across a Primary Successional Gradient

Abstract

While ecologists have studied succession for well over 100 y, there has been little characterization of diversity patterns in nonplant organisms or their interactions across successional gradients. In this study we examined herbaceous vertical vegetation structure and diversity in plants, arthropods, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in three Great Lakes sand dune chronosequences. Plant species richness increased linearly across the primary successional gradients at the three sampling sites, while plant vertical structure remained constant. Total arthropod abundance and species richness were positively associated with plant vertical cover, while AMF spore abundance and morpho-type richness were positively associated with plant species richness. Carnivore and herbivore functional groups of arthropods responded differently to plant vertical cover and species richness. Diversity across early primary successional gradients does not consistently increase among different trophic levels, and the vertical structure of vegetation can be important in explaining richness and abundance in other trophic levels across a successional gradient.

Role of plant diversity on arthropod communities in a restored tallgrass prairie of the U.S. Midwest

“…As suggested by the strong or relatively strong correlations in our study and the literature (e.g. Haddad et al 2000; Kutschbach‐Brohl et al 2010; Emery et al 2015), the cover of C 3 grasses appeared to be a major driving force for divergence of arthropod assemblages in the RCG sites.…”

Soil ecology of the exotic dune grass Leymus arenarius.

“…Diversity gradients in successional dune systems are well established for plants (Cowles 1899;Lichter 1998), and more recent work has highlighted similar patterns in dune soil communities as well (Emery et al 2015;Wall et al 2002;Wasserstrom et al 2017).…”