preprints.org > biology and life sciences > ecology, evolution, behavior and systematics > doi: 10.20944/preprints202212.0587.v1

Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Version 1 : Received: 28 December 2022 / Approved: 31 December 2022 / Online: 31 December 2022 (08:21:02 CET)

Major disturbances fundamentally alter ecosystems through the transformation of both biotic and abiotic factors. The eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 resulted in a cataclysmic restructuring of its surrounding landscapes. The Pumice Plain is one of these landscapes, where tree species such as Sitka willow (Salix sitchensis) and their dependent communities have established along newly-formed streams. Thus, the study of these dependent communities provides a unique opportunity to investigate factors influencing metacommunity assembly during true primary succession. We analyzed the influence of landscape connectivity on metacommunity assembly through a novel application of circuit theory, alongside the effects of other factors such as stream locations, willow leaf chemistry, and leaf area. We found that landscape connectivity structures community composition on willows across the Pumice Plain, while our other factors had varied effects. Most importantly, multiple levels of spatial habitat structure linked via landscape connectivity can predict the presence of organisms lacking high rates of dispersal, such as the invasive stem-boring poplar weevil (Cryptorhynchus lapathi). This is critical for management as we show that the maintenance of a heterogeneous mixture of landscape connectivities and resource locations can facilitate meta-community dynamics to promote ecosystem function and mitigate the influences of invasive species.

dioecious; landscape connectivity; plant-insect interactions; metacommunity assembly; Mount St. Helens; willow; invasive species

Biology and Life Sciences, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

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