Species removal dampens the scale dependency of ecological determinism and stochasticity in coastal communities

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Removing foundation species reduced the scale dependency of deterministic and stochastic processes in sessile coastal communities, with the effect being stronger at smaller spatial scales.

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The paper experimentally tested how spatial extent and removal of foundation species influence rocky-intertidal community dynamics, focusing on how deterministic versus stochastic processes vary across scale. Across eight field sites spanning about 1000 km along the southeastern Pacific, community responses over three years were analyzed using a normalized stochasticity ratio (NST) to distinguish stochastic (>50%) from deterministic (<50%) dynamics. NST decreased with increasing spatial extent for both sessile and mobile species, and was consistently lower under foundation species removal for sessile communities, with the removal effect strongest in smaller sessile communities and diminishing at larger extents; mobile communities showed no significant response. The authors emphasize that these experimental results are preprints and not yet peer reviewed, which is a key caveat for interpreting the findings. The paper does not explicitly discuss endometriosis or adenomyosis; it was included in the corpus via a keyword match in the upstream search index.

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Abstract

Deterministic and stochastic processes control community dynamics. However, the responses of both processes to the loss of foundation species, which strongly influence community dynamics across spatial scales, are unclear. We experimentally examined how spatial extent and foundation species removal affect rocky-intertidal community dynamics over three years in eight field sites spanning ~1000 km along the southeastern Pacific. The normalised stochasticity ratio (NST), which distinguishes between stochastic (>50%) and deterministic (<50%) community dynamics, decreased with spatial extent for sessile and mobile species, with consistently lower values under foundation species removal for sessile communities. The effect of foundation species removal on NST was strongest in smaller sessile communities and diminished as spatial extent increased, while mobile communities showed no significant response to the disturbance. Our experimental results demonstrate that the loss of foundation species disrupts the scale dependency of ecological mechanisms, highlighting its implications for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem functioning.
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Species removal dampens the scale dependency of ecological determinism and stochasticity in coastal communities | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL Ecology Letters This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 16 January 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Species removal dampens the scale dependency of ecological determinism and stochasticity in coastal communities Authors : Nelson Valdivia 0000-0002-5394-2072 [email protected] , Alexis Catalán , Daniela Lopez , Moisés Aguilera , Claudia Betancourtt , Eliseo Fica-Rojas , and Bernardo Broitman 0000-0001-6582-3188 Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.173703835.53391316/v1 Published Ecology Letters Version of record Peer review timeline 382 views 181 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Deterministic and stochastic processes control community dynamics. However, the responses of both processes to the loss of foundation species, which strongly influence community dynamics across spatial scales, are unclear. We experimentally examined how spatial extent and foundation species removal affect rocky-intertidal community dynamics over three years in eight field sites spanning ~1000 km along the southeastern Pacific. The normalised stochasticity ratio (NST), which distinguishes between stochastic (>50%) and deterministic (<50%) community dynamics, decreased with spatial extent for sessile and mobile species, with consistently lower values under foundation species removal for sessile communities. The effect of foundation species removal on NST was strongest in smaller sessile communities and diminished as spatial extent increased, while mobile communities showed no significant response to the disturbance. Our experimental results demonstrate that the loss of foundation species disrupts the scale dependency of ecological mechanisms, highlighting its implications for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem functioning. Supplementary Material File (valdivia_etal_main_body_revised.docx) Download 5.18 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 16 January 2025 Peer review timeline Published Ecology Letters Version of Record 6 Jun 2025 Published Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Collection Ecology Letters Authors Affiliations Nelson Valdivia 0000-0002-5394-2072 [email protected] Universidad Austral de Chile View all articles by this author Alexis Catalán Centro de Investigación en Ecosistemas de la Patagonia, CIEP, Coyhaique, Chile View all articles by this author Daniela Lopez Universidad Austral de Chile View all articles by this author Moisés Aguilera Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez View all articles by this author Claudia Betancourtt Universidad Austral de Chile View all articles by this author Eliseo Fica-Rojas Universidad Austral de Chile View all articles by this author Bernardo Broitman 0000-0001-6582-3188 Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 382 views 181 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Nelson Valdivia, Alexis Catalán, Daniela Lopez, et al. Species removal dampens the scale dependency of ecological determinism and stochasticity in coastal communities. Authorea . 16 January 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.173703835.53391316/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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