RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Does a history of co-occurrence predict plant performance, community productivity, or invasion resistance?
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2022.09.20.508783
DO 10.1101/2022.09.20.508783
A1 Alison C. Agneray
A1 Matthew L. Forister
A1 Thomas L. Parchman
A1 Elizabeth A. Leger
YR 2022
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2022/09/22/2022.09.20.508783.abstract
AB A history of species co-occurrence in plant communities is hypothesized to lead to greater niche differentiation, more efficient resource partitioning, and more productive, resistant communities as a result of evolution in response to biotic interactions. We asked if individual species or community responses differed when communities were founded with species sharing a history of co-occurrence (sympatric) or with species originating from different locations (allopatric). Using shrub, grass, and forb species from six locations in the western Great Basin, USA, we compared establishment, productivity, reproduction, phenology, and resistance to invaders for experimental communities with either sympatric or allopatric associations. Each community type was planted with six taxa in outdoor mesocosms, measured over three growing seasons, and invaded with the annual grass Bromus tectorum in the final season. For most populations, the allopatric or sympatric status of neighbors was not important. However, in some cases it was beneficial for some species from some locations to be planted with allopatric neighbors, while others benefited from sympatric neighbors, and some of these responses had large effects. For instance, the Elymus population that benefited the most from allopatry grew 50% larger with allopatric neighbors than in single origin mesocosms. This response affected invasion resistance, as B. tectorum biomass was strongly affected by productivity and phenology of Elymus spp., as well as Poa secunda. Our results demonstrate that while community composition can in some cases affect plant performance in semi-arid plant communities, assembling sympatric communities is not sufficient to ensure high ecosystem services. Instead, we observed a potential interaction between sampling effects and evolutionary history that can create invasion resistant allopatric communities.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.