Dispersal evolution alters evolution-mediated priority effects in a metacommunity

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Biodiversity Science

Background:

• Predicting species distribution is crucial for understanding biodiversity.
• Ecological niche, dispersal, and evolution interact to shape species distributions.
• Evolution-mediated priority effects, where early-arriving species adapt and influence later arrivals, can alter biodiversity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how the evolution of dispersal influences evolution-mediated priority effects.
• To model the interplay between species adaptation, dispersal evolution, and biodiversity patterns.
• To understand the role of dispersal evolution in species-poor communities.

Main Methods:

• Development of an individual-based model simulating competing species.
• Modeling adaptation to local environments and evolution of dispersal probabilities.
• Analysis of biodiversity patterns under different dispersal evolution scenarios.

Main Results:

• Lower regional species diversity selected for higher dispersal probabilities and stronger evolution-mediated priority effects.
• When all species evolved dispersal, patch monopolization decreased and occurred at similar rates.
• When only one species evolved dispersal, it showed reduced dispersal and monopolized habitats after overcoming gene flow limitations.

Conclusions:

• Dispersal evolution significantly shapes evolution-mediated priority effects, particularly in species-poor communities.
• These effects are more pronounced in environments with greater ecological opportunity.
• Dispersal and evolution-mediated priority effects are likely important in species-poor regions and changing environments.