When and where does dispersal limitation matter in primary succession?

Abstract

Primary succession encompasses the earliest and most fundamental stages of community assembly. The relative contributions of plant dispersal and ecosystem development, the main drivers that control the rate of primary succession, remain largely unknown, in spite of their central roles in community organization in general. Understanding the contribution of dispersal is especially critical because it casts light on our ability to manage succession resulting from climate change or anthropogenic disturbance. Here, we review the literature in order to understand when and where dispersal limits primary succession. Studies from many systems (tropical, temperate, boreal, arctic, alpine, floodplain forest, desert, mines, volcanic eruption and glacier forelands) show that dispersal limitation occurs consistently in the early stages of primary succession, suggesting that this is a general pattern. On the other hand, we found strong biases in study sites towards the Northern Hemisphere, temperate regions, volcanic eruptions and glacier forelands, which suggests that there are risks in drawing general conclusions about the importance of dispersal for primary succession for other biomes. Little is known about the contribution of dispersal to the later stages of primary succession. We present a recently developed method, multiscale chronosequence comparison that compares rates of succession in similar systems at relatively small and large spatial scales. Rapid succession at small scales compared to large scales suggests that seed dispersal influences succession over time periods of centuries and also limits the development of ecosystem functions such as vegetation cover and soil carbon accumulation. Synthesis: Dispersal limitation likely matters not only in the early stages but also in the late stages of primary succession by controlling the rate at which new species arrive. Both the accumulation of comparable case studies and novel approaches, such as multiscale chronosequence comparisons and factorial experiments, in contrasting biomes, are necessary to clarify the generality or context dependency of the role of dispersal in future primary successions undergoing changing climate.

Differential Colonization and Succession of Microbial Communities in Rock and Soil Substrates on a Maritime Antarctic Glacier Forefield

“…Combined with selection, the stochastic process of dispersal (Nemergut et al, 2013) may contribute to the observed differences in microbial diversity between substrates along the succession (Makoto and Wilson, 2019). In our studied glacier forefield, dispersal is likely driven either by wind or glacial melt water (Kappen and Straka, 1988;Marshall, 1996a,b;Šabacká et al, 2012), although the abundant fauna in the area may have an equally significant impact.…”

Ecological succession in a changing world

“…Wardle et al., ). In a meta‐analysis of primary succession sites across many systems, Makoto and Wilson () examined the role of dispersal limitation on both the early and late stages of succession. They found that dispersal limitation influences rates of succession in both the early and late stages, even after centuries, and overall appears to limit key processes linked to ecosystem development such as vegetation cover and soil carbon accumulation.…”

“…dispersal phenology, traits) and indirect ways (e.g. environmental factors, biotic interactions), further influencing successional trajectories (Makoto & Wilson, ). Similarly, understanding human land use and habitat fragmentation will require insight into factors that drive secondary successional processes and community recovery following land abandonment.…”

Charcoal ecology: Its function as a hub for plant succession and soil nutrient cycling in boreal forests

“…In terrestrial ecosystems, C sequestration occurs with plant succession and the associated inputs of plant litter (both above‐ and belowground litter) into humus and mineral soil. After a catastrophic disturbance, revegetation is first catalyzed by the dispersal of propagules, and the extent of this dispersal limits long‐term succession (Makoto & Wilson, 2019). Therefore, C sequestration at the ecosystem level is regulated by the primary‐succession dispersal limitations of plant propagules (Makoto & Wilson, 2016).…”