10.5061/DRYAD.QT30H
Shooner, Stephanie
Concordia University
McGill University
Chisholm, Chelsea
McGill University
University of Copenhagen
Davies, Thomas Jonathan
McGill University
Data from: The phylogenetics of succession can guide restoration: an
example from abandoned mine sites in the subarctic
Dryad
dataset
2015
species pool
null models
phylogenetic beta-diversity
net-relatedness index
2015-08-13T14:26:23Z
2015-08-13T14:26:23Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12517
51917 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
1. Phylogenetic tools have increasingly been used in community ecology to
describe evolutionary relationships among co-occurring species. In studies
of succession, such tools may allow us to identify evolutionary lineages
most suited for particular stages of succession and habitat
rehabilitation. However, to date these two applications have been largely
separate. Here, we suggest that information on phylogenetic community
structure might help inform community restoration strategies following
major disturbance. 2. Our study examined phylogenetic patterns of
succession based on a chronosequence of three abandoned subarctic mine
spoil heaps (waste piles) dating from the early 1970s, mid-1970s and early
1980s. The vegetation at each mine site was compared to the surrounding
vegetation and community structure on mines was explored assuming species
pools at nested spatial scales. 3. We found that the adjacent vegetation
was more phylogenetically clustered than the vegetation on the mines, with
mines demonstrating weaker phylogenetic community structure. Using
simulation models, we showed that phylogenetic dissimilarity between mine
sites did not depart from null expectations. However, we found evidence
for species sorting along abiotic gradients (slope and aspect) on the mine
sites that had been abandoned for the longest. 4. Synthesis and
applications. Understanding the trajectory of succession is critical for
restoration efforts. Our results suggest that early colonizers represent a
phylogenetically random subset of species from the local species pool.
Over time there appears to be selection for particular lineages that come
to be filtered across space and environment. The species most appropriate
for mine site restoration might, therefore, depend on the successional
stage of the community and the local species composition. For example, in
later succession, it could be more beneficial to facilitate establishment
of more distant relatives. Our findings can improve management practices
by providing relatedness information for known successful colonizers and
by informing seeding decisions with knowledge of the surrounding and
regional species pools. The application of phylogenetics to restoration
ecology and succession is relatively new, but it has the potential to
provide novel insight into the dynamics of changing community structures
during succession.
Schefferville Mines: Gagnon mine and surrounding vegetation floraSite by
species matrix of species found on and around the Gagnon mine in
Schefferville, Quebec, Canada. This data was collected in the field.
Please see the associated ReadMe file for more
information.GagnonCommunityMatrix.csvSchefferville Mines: Retty mine and
surrounding vegetation floraSite by species matrix of species found on and
around the Retty mine in Schefferville, Quebec, Canada. This data was
collected in the field. Please see the associated ReadMe file for more
information.RettyCommunityMatrix.csvSchefferville Mines: Timmins mine and
surrounding vegetation floraSite by species matrix of species found on and
around the Timmins mine in Schefferville, Quebec, Canada. This data was
collected in the field. Please see the associated ReadMe file for more
information.TimminsCommunityMatrix.csv
Canada
Schefferville
Quebec