Inverse priority effects: A role for historical contingency during species losses

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Community Ecology
• Biodiversity Science

Background:

• Global biodiversity loss is occurring at an unprecedented rate.
• Community assembly theory highlights the importance of species arrival order and timing.
• The impact of species loss order and timing on community reassembly remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel framework for understanding the effects of species loss order and timing on community reassembly.
• To introduce and define the concept of 'inverse priority effects'.
• To investigate how species loss sequences can lead to alternative community trajectories.

Main Methods:

• Development of a theoretical framework for inverse priority effects.
• Utilizing a three-species Lotka-Volterra competition model for quantitative analysis.
• Investigating conditions under which the order of species loss generates divergent reassembly pathways.

Main Results:

• The order and timing of species losses can indeed generate alternative community reassembly trajectories.
• Identified potential mechanisms underlying these inverse priority effects.
• Demonstrated quantitatively that divergent reassembly pathways can result from different species loss sequences.

Conclusions:

• The proposed inverse priority effects framework provides testable hypotheses for ecological research.
• Understanding species loss dynamics is crucial for predicting community reassembly.
• This research can inform conservation and management strategies amid rapid global change.