Are metapopulation species drivers of metacommunity structure in sandstone outcrop communities?

Questions The extent to which metacommunities exhibit species with metapopulation dynamics is poorly understood. We investigate this issue within sandstone glade plant communities scattered across an upland hardwood forest. We investigate the life forms of metapopulation species and relationships between taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity, composition, and environmental factors.
Locations Twenty-three sandstone outcrop communities in southern Illinois, USA.
Methods Following vegetation surveys, species exhibiting metapopulations dynamics were identified and compared to all species based on origin, growth form, and lifecycle. Cohesion, turnover, and boundary clumping were utilized to determine metacommunity structure. Correlations evaluated associations between site-based variables, and regressions evaluated associations between diversity indices. Multivariate analyses compared sites to determine which variables contributed to compositional differences.
Results Twenty of 1...