Community assembly, coexistence and the environmental filtering metaphor

• Published in: Functional ecology Vol. 29; no. 5; pp. 592 - 599
• Main Authors: Kraft, Nathan J. B., Adler, Peter B., Godoy, Oscar, James, Emily C., Fuller, Steve, Levine, Jonathan M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Wiley 01.05.2015; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Abiotic factors; Assembly; Coexistence; COMMUNITY PHYLOGENETICS AND ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING; Community structure; competition; ecological succession; environmental factors; Filtration; functional traits; habitat filtering; Literature reviews; niche differences; phylogenetic relatedness; Phylogeny; Plant communities; species pool; Studies; Tolerances

Summary One of the most pervasive concepts in the study of community assembly is the metaphor of the environmental filter, which refers to abiotic factors that prevent the establishment or persistence of species in a particular location. The metaphor has its origins in the study of community change...