Priority effects on multiple sites

Priority effects in wood decay fungal communities are known to drive assembly history, but previous studies have not established whether priority effects are consistent between different geographical locations. This study highlights the importance of local species pools in assembly history, and for future studies of priority effects.Beech wood disks (ca. 10 cm diameter, 2 cm thick) were pre-colonised with wood decay Basidiomycetes from various stages of the successional community. Disks were placed in seven woodland field sites for 12-24 months. Upon harvest, the fungal community within each disk was profiled using amplified genetic markers.