A truce with neutral theory: local deterministic factors, species traits and dispersal limitation together determine patterns of diversity in stream invertebrates
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Summary: Studies seeking to explain local patterns of diversity have typically relied on niche explanations, reflected in correlations with local environmental conditions, or neutral theory, invoking dispersal processes and speciation. We used macroinvertebrate community data from 10 streams that varied independently in local ecological conditions and spatial proximity. Neutral theory predicts that similarity in communities will be negatively associated with distance between sites, while niche theory suggests that community similarity will be positively associated with similarity in local ecological conditions. Similarity in total invertebrate, grazer and predator assemblages showed negative relationships with distance and, for grazers and predators, positive relationships with local ecological conditions. However, the best model predicting community similarity in all three cases included aspects of both local ecological conditions and distance between sites. When assemblages were analysed according to dispersal ability, high‐dispersal species were shown to be freely accessing all sites and community similarity was not well predicted by either local ecology or spatial separation. Assemblages of species with low and moderate dispersal ability were best predicted by combined models, including distance between sites and local ecological factors. The results suggest that the perceived dichotomy between neutral and local environmental processes in determining local patterns of diversity may not be useful. Neutral and niche processes structured these communities differentially depending on trophic level and species traits. We emphasize the potential for both dispersal processes and local environmental conditions to explain local patterns of diversity.
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Organisms with different niches are influenced by physicochemical and biological factors as well as dispersal success in more complex ways, leading to greater stochasticity.
“organisms with different niches are influenced by physicochemical and biological factors as well as dispersal success in more complex ways, leading to greater stochasticity (Cid et al., 2021; Thompson and Town send, 2006).”
From A meta-analysis of environmental responses to freshwater ecosystem restoration in China (1987–2018) (2023) · cites this paper as Thompson and Townsend, 2006
The Results (page unavailable) show that local ecological factors and spatial distance jointly predicted stream-invertebrate community similarity, with effects differing by dispersal ability. The Discussion (page unavailable) also says trophic groupings and species traits affect the relative importance of niche and neutral factors. The paper does not establish that these interactions lead to greater stochasticity, so that part of the claim is unsupported. (LLM, conf=0.85)
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Cited by
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A meta-analysis of environmental responses to freshwater ecosystem restoration in China (1987–2018)
Fu, H., Xu, J., Zhang, H., García Molinos, J., Zhang, M., Klaar, M., & Brown, L. E. (2023) · Environmental Pollution · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120589 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
- Authors
- THOMPSON, R., & TOWNSEND, C.
- Affiliations
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- Corresponding author
- THOMPSON, ROSS
- ORCID
- THOMPSON, ROSS
- Venue
- Journal of Animal Ecology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2006-03
- Volume
- 75
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 476-484
- ISSN
- 0021-8790 (ISSN-L)
- 1365-2656
- OpenAlex
- W1542079723
- Cited by
- 370
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 25 · 2016: 40 · 2015: 27 · 2014: 30 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 28
- FWCI
- 11.74
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Animal Ecology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- University of Otago
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
- McGill University
- University of British Columbia
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecology
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Keywords
- neutral theory, niche theory, community similarity, dispersal limitation, species traits, dispersibility, local environmental conditions, stream macroinvertebrates, trophic levels, community assembly, spatial distance
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Data Interpretation, Statistical, Environment, Invertebrates, Models, Biological, Population Density, Population Dynamics, Species Specificity, Ecosystem, Biodiversity, Rivers
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