Macroecological laws describe variation and diversity in microbial communities

Area of Science:

• Macroecology
• Community Ecology
• Microbial Ecology

Background:

• Species coexistence is a fundamental ecological question lacking mechanistic understanding.
• The drivers of variation in species presence and abundance (deterministic vs. random processes) remain controversial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the variation of species presence and abundance in microbial communities from a macroecological perspective.
• To identify quantitative laws characterizing species abundance fluctuations across communities and over time.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of species presence and abundance data in microbial communities.
• Identification and application of three novel macroecological laws.
• Mathematical modeling using the stochastic logistic model.

Main Results:

• Three macroecological laws were identified, quantitatively characterizing species abundance fluctuations.
• These laws enable predictions of species presence/absence, diversity, and macroecological patterns.
• The stochastic logistic model accurately predicts these laws and non-stationary community dynamics.

Conclusions:

• Macroecological laws provide a quantitative framework for understanding species coexistence.
• Environmental stochasticity is a key driver of observed patterns in species abundance and community dynamics.
• The stochastic logistic model offers a robust tool for predicting ecological community behavior.