Data from: Quantifying the role of colonization history and biotic interactions in shaping communities –a community transplant approach

The role of colonization history and subsequent biotic interactions in determining the species composition in communities has long been the subject of debate in ecology. While one narrative has emphasized deterministic assembly rules, another has emphasized historical contingency. One problem lies in approach: community studies are typically either manipulative but somewhat unnatural, or observational but lacking manipulation. Furthermore, while most ecologists now recognize that both historical and biotic factors shape communities, too few studies have moved beyond qualitative descriptions of their roles. Here we use a manipulative approach that leverages natural variation to provide quantitative estimates of the relative contributions of colonization history and the subsequent biotic interactions. 384 communities were developed on artificial substrata in a homogeneous environment before undergoing reciprocal transplantation. We then compare community structure before and after transplantation as proxies for colonization history and biotic interactions. We found that the importance of history and the ensuing biotic environment differed at different times in community development. Early transplantations resulted in the local environment modifying community history faster compared to postponed transplantations. With a four-week difference in age, colonization history explained 20% more of the variation in older communities than in younger communities. Biotic interactions were able to modify colonization history at the age of 16 weeks, but older communities showed more resistance to the changing biotic environment. Our method provides a manipulative and quantitative approach to understanding the relative contributions of colonization history and biotic interactions to assembly in natural systems.

群落物种组成的决定机制中，定殖历史（colonization history）与后续生物相互作用（biotic interactions）的相对重要性，长期以来都是生态学领域的核心争议议题。一类观点强调确定性群落组装规则（deterministic assembly rules），另一类则侧重历史偶然性（historical contingency）。当前研究方法存在显著局限：群落生态学研究通常要么采用操控性实验但情境偏人工化，要么仅为观测性研究却缺乏操控环节。此外，尽管多数生态学家现已认可历史因素与生物因素共同塑造群落结构，但仅有极少数研究跳出了对二者作用的定性描述范畴。本研究采用依托自然变异的操控性实验方法，对定殖历史与后续生物相互作用的相对贡献度进行定量评估。研究人员在均质环境下的人工基质（artificial substrata）上构建了384个群落，随后对其开展相互移植实验，并通过对比移植前后的群落结构，分别作为定殖历史与生物相互作用的替代指标。研究结果显示，定殖历史与后续生物环境的相对重要性，随群落发育的不同阶段存在显著差异：相较于延迟移植的群落，早期移植的群落其本地环境对定殖历史的改造速度更快。在群落发育时长相差4周的情况下，相较于年轻群落，定殖历史对成熟群落物种组成变异的解释度高出20%。群落发育至16周时，生物相互作用即可对定殖历史产生改造作用，但发育更久的群落对生物环境变化的抵抗性更强。本研究提出的方法，为定量且操控性地解析定殖历史与生物相互作用对自然群落组装的相对贡献，提供了可行的研究路径。