Data from: Synchrony in small mammal community dynamics across a forested landscape

Long-term studies at local scales indicate that fluctuations in abundance
among trophically similar species are often temporally synchronized.
Complementary studies on synchrony across larger spatial extents are less
common, as are studies that investigate the subsequent impacts on
community dynamics across the landscape. We investigate the impact of
species population fluctuations on concordance in community dynamics for
the small mammal fauna of the White Mountain National Forest, USA.
Hierarchical open population models, which account for imperfect
detection, were used to model abundance of the most common species at 108
sites over a three year period. Most species displayed individualistic
responses of abundance to forest type and physiographic characteristics.
However, among species, we found marked synchrony in population
fluctuations across years, regardless of landscape affinities or trophic
level. Across the region, this population synchrony led to high
within-year concordance of community composition and aggregate properties
(e.g., richness and diversity) independent of forest type and low
among-year similarity in communities, even for years with similar species
richness. Results suggest that extrinsic factors primarily drive abundance
fluctuations and subsequently community dynamics, although local community
assembly may be modified by species dispersal abilities and biotic
interactions. Concordant community dynamics across space and over time may
impact the stability of regional food webs and ecosystem functions.