Data from: Priority effects can persist across floral generations in nectar microbial metacommunities

The order of species arrival can influence how species interact with one another and, consequently, which species may coexist in local communities. This phenomenon, called priority effects, has been observed in various types of communities, but it remains unclear whether priority effects persist over the long term spanning multiple generations of local communities in metacommunities. Focusing on bacteria and yeasts that colonize floral nectar of the sticky monkey flower, Mimulus aurantiacus, via hummingbirds and other flower-visiting animals, we experimentally manipulated initial microbial dominance on plants (regarded as metacommunities) to examine whether its effects persisted across multiple generations of flowers (regarded as local microbial habitats). The experimental introduction of Neokomagataea (= Gluconobacter) bacteria and Metschnikowia yeasts into wild flowers showed that the effects of initial dominance were observable across multiple floral generations. Three weeks after introduction, corresponding approximately to three floral generations, Neokomagataea introduction led to exclusion of yeasts, whereas Metschnikowia introduction did not result in the exclusion of Neokomagataea. Our results suggest that, even when local habitats are ephemeral, priority effects may influence multiple generations of local communities within metacommunities.

物种抵达的先后顺序可影响物种间的相互作用模式，进而决定当地群落中可共存的物种组成。这一被称为优先效应（priority effects）的现象已在多种群落类型中被观测到，但目前仍不清楚优先效应能否在复合群落（metacommunities）的跨代时间尺度上持续存在，即覆盖当地群落的多代更替过程。本研究以通过蜂鸟及其他访花动物定植于粘毛猴面花（*Mimulus aurantiacus*, sticky monkey flower）花蜜中的细菌与酵母菌为研究对象，以植株（视为复合群落）为实验单元，通过操控初始微生物优势类群，探究其效应能否在多代花（视为本地微生物生境）中持续存在。向野生花中实验接种新驹形杆菌属（Neokomagataea，= 葡糖杆菌属Gluconobacter）与梅奇酵母属（Metschnikowia）酵母菌后，研究发现初始优势类群的效应可在多代花中被观测到。接种后三周（大致对应三代花的周期），新驹形杆菌属的接种会导致酵母菌被排斥，而梅奇酵母属的接种却未引发新驹形杆菌属的排斥。本研究结果表明，即便本地生境为临时性生境，优先效应仍可能影响复合群落内多代当地群落的组成结构。