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会影响物种间的相互作用，进而决定哪些物种能够在局域群落中共存。这一现象被称为优先效应（priority effects），已在多种类型的群落中被观测到，但目前尚不清楚优先效应能否在集合群落（metacommunities）中长期存续，历经局域群落的多代更替。本研究聚焦于通过蜂鸟及其他访花动物定殖于粘性猴面花（Mimulus aurantiacus）花蜜中的细菌与酵母菌，以植株（视为集合群落）为对象实验操控其初始微生物优势度，以探究该效应能否在多代花株（视为局域微生物生境）中持续存在。将新驹形杆菌属（Neokomagataea，旧称葡糖杆菌属Gluconobacter）细菌与梅奇酵母属（Metschnikowia）酵母菌实验性接种至野生花株的结果显示，初始微生物优势度的效应可在多代花株中被观测到。接种后三周，大致对应三代花株的生长周期，新驹形杆菌属细菌的接种会导致酵母菌被排除，而梅奇酵母属酵母菌的接种则未引发新驹形杆菌属细菌被排除的现象。本研究结果表明，即便局域生境较为短暂，优先效应仍可能对集合群落内的多代局域群落产生影响。