Testing the sequence of successional processes in miniature ecosystems
Dispersal, environmental filtering, and biotic interactions define the species inventory of local communities. Along successional gradients, these assembly processes are predicted to sequentially vary in their relative importance with dispersal as the dominating process early in succession, followed...
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Main Authors: | , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Philipps-Universität Marburg
2024
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | PDF Full Text |
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Summary: | Dispersal, environmental filtering, and biotic interactions define the species inventory of local communities. Along successional gradients, these assembly processes are predicted to sequentially vary in their relative importance with dispersal as the dominating process early in succession, followed by environmental filtering and biotic interactions at later stages. While observational data from field studies supported this prediction, controlled experiments confirming a sequence of successional processes are still lacking. We designed miniature ecosystems to explicitly test these assumptions under controlled laboratory conditions. Our “Ecosystems on a Plate” (EsoaP) are 3D-printed customized microplates with 24 connected wells allowing us to track dispersal, niche filtering, and biotic interactions among bacteria and plants in time and space. Within EsoaPs, we created heterogeneous habitat landscapes by well-specific nutrient levels or by providing plant seedlings as mutualistic partners in a checkerboard pattern. Bacteria of a single strain were released in one well and subsequently distributed themselves within the plates. We measured the spatial distribution of bacterial abundances at two time points as a function of abiotic or biotic heterogeneity. Bacterial abundance distribution confirmed a shift from initial dispersal-dominated processes to later niche filtering and biotic interactions as more important processes. Our approach follows the principles of open science as the affordable availability of 3D printers as well as shared STL files makes EsoaPs disseminatable and accessible to all levels of society, facilitating future experimental research. |
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Item Description: | Gefördert durch den Open-Access-Publikationsfonds der UB Marburg. |
DOI: | 10.1128/spectrum.01227-24 |