Testing the sequence of successional processes in miniature ecosystems

Area of Science:

• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
• Microbial Ecology
• Community Ecology

Background:

• Ecological succession theories predict sequential importance of dispersal, environmental filtering, and biotic interactions.
• Observational studies support these predictions, but controlled experimental evidence is lacking.
• Previous experimental tools had limitations for ecologically relevant research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally test the sequential importance of community assembly processes in ecological succession.
• To develop and validate a novel experimental system, "Ecosystems on a Plate" (EsoaP), for controlled ecological research.
• To investigate the roles of dispersal, environmental filtering, and biotic interactions in bacterial community assembly.

Main Methods:

• Developed 3D-printed "Ecosystems on a Plate" (EsoaP) microplates with 24 connected wells.
• Created heterogeneous habitats using varied nutrient levels and plant seedling arrangements.
• Introduced a single bacterial strain and tracked its spatial distribution and abundance over time.

Main Results:

• Bacterial distribution patterns demonstrated a shift from early dispersal-driven processes.
• Later stages showed increased importance of niche filtering and biotic interactions.
• The EsoaP system successfully mimicked successional community assembly processes.

Conclusions:

• Controlled experiments confirm the predicted sequence of assembly processes in ecological succession.
• The EsoaP system offers a versatile, accessible, and reproducible platform for ecological research.
• Open science principles embodied in EsoaP facilitate broader scientific and educational engagement.