Invasibility in a spatiotemporally fluctuating environment is determined by the periodicity of fluctuations and resident turnover rates.
The ability of a species to invade a community is influenced by the traits of the invader, the resident community and the environment. However, qualitative generalizations are possible. Using a model of perennial plants in a spatiotemporally fluctuating environment, we find that fluctuating environments may be more or less invasible than static environments. Invasibility is strongly dependent on the interaction of the difference in turnover rates of resident and invader populations and the rate of temporal change of the environment. If resident population turnover is faster than the invader's, then invasibility is an initially positive, decreasing function of the period temporal variation, such that invasibility is increased by rapid temporal fluctuations but slightly reduced in slowly fluctuating environments. If resident turnover is slower than the invader's, then invasibility is an initially negative, increasing function of temporal period, such that invasibility is reduced in rapidly changing environment facilitated by slow temporal fluctuations. These results are explained by the relative abilities of resident and invader populations to successfully respond to environmental variation at different temporal scales.
Schoolmaster
Donald R
DR
Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106-7080, USA. drs34@case.edu
Snyder
Robin E
RE
D044822:Biodiversity; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010944:Plants