Species divergence and trait convergence in experimental plant community assembly

Abstract Despite decades of research, it remains controversial whether ecological communities converge towards a common structure determined by environmental conditions irrespective of assembly history. Here, we show experimentally that the answer depends on the level of community organization considered. In a 9‐year grassland experiment, we manipulated initial plant composition on abandoned arable land and subsequently allowed natural colonization. Initial compositional variation caused plant communities to remain divergent in species identities, even though these same communities converged strongly in species traits. This contrast between species divergence and trait convergence could not be explained by…

• EC
  European Commission
• RS
  Royal Society Te Apārangi
• KN
  Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen
• JS
  Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
• MF
  Marsden Fund