The evolution of the competition-dispersal trade-off affects α- and β-diversity in a heterogeneous metacommunity.
Difference in dispersal ability is a key driver of species coexistence in metacommunities. However, the available frameworks for interpreting species diversity patterns in natura often overlook trade-offs and evolutionary constraints associated with dispersal. Here, we build a metacommunity model accounting for dispersal evolution and a competition-dispersal trade-off. Depending on the distribution of carrying capacities among communities, species dispersal values are distributed either around a single strategy (evolutionarily stable strategy, ESS), or around distinct strategies (evolutionary branching, EB). We show that limited dispersal generates spatial aggregation of dispersal traits in ESS and EB scenarios, and that the competition-dispersal trade-off strengthens the pattern in the EB scenario. Importantly, individuals in larger (respectively (resp.) smaller) communities tend to harbour lower (resp. higher) dispersal, especially under the EB scenario. We explore how dispersal evolution affects species diversity patterns by comparing those from our model to the predictions of a neutral metacommunity model. The most marked difference is detected under EB, with distinctive values of both α- and β-diversity (e.g. the dissimilarity in species composition between small and large communities was significantly larger than neutral predictions). We conclude that, from an empirical perspective, jointly assessing community carrying capacity with species dispersal strategies should improve our understanding of diversity patterns in metacommunities.
CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS - Université de Montpellier - Université Paul Valéry Montpellier - EPHE, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France AgroParisTech ENGREF, 19 avenue du Maine, 75732 Paris Cedex 15, France Irstea, UR EFNO, Domaine des Barres, 45290 Nogent-sur-Vernisson, France Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7044, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden fabien.laroche@irstea.fr.
Fabien
F
Laroche
CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS - Université de Montpellier - Université Paul Valéry Montpellier - EPHE, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
Philippe
P
Jarne
CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS - Université de Montpellier - Université Paul Valéry Montpellier - EPHE, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France Agroécologie, AgroSup Dijon, INRA, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 21000 Dijon, France Centre d'études biologiques de Chizé, CNRS and Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Beauvoir sur Niort, France.
Thomas
T
Perrot
CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS - Université de Montpellier - Université Paul Valéry Montpellier - EPHE, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France EEP UMR 8198, CNRS/Université Lille - Sciences et Technologies, Bâtiment SN2, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France.
Francois
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4098-955X
F
Massol
D044822:Biodiversity; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D040961:Genetic Drift; D056084:Genetic Fitness; D049810:Genetic Speciation; D008954:Models, Biological; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
T-statistics; coalescence; evolutionary branching; neutral theory; null models