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Asymmetric biotic interactions and abiotic niche differences revealed by a dynamic joint species distribution model
Author(s) -
Lany Nina K.,
Zarnetske Phoebe L.,
Schliep Erin M.,
Schaeffer Robert N.,
Orians Colin M.,
Orwig David A.,
Preisser Evan L.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.1002/ecy.2190
Subject(s) - abiotic component , abundance (ecology) , ecology , relative abundance distribution , biology , interspecific competition , biotic component , ecological niche , niche , species distribution , relative species abundance , community , ecosystem , habitat
Abstract A species’ distribution and abundance are determined by abiotic conditions and biotic interactions with other species in the community. Most species distribution models correlate the occurrence of a single species with environmental variables only, and leave out biotic interactions. To test the importance of biotic interactions on occurrence and abundance, we compared a multivariate spatiotemporal model of the joint abundance of two invasive insects that share a host plant, hemlock woolly adelgid ( HWA ; Adelges tsugae ) and elongate hemlock scale ( EHS ; Fiorina externa ), to independent models that do not account for dependence among co‐occurring species. The joint model revealed that HWA responded more strongly to abiotic conditions than EHS . Additionally, HWA appeared to predispose stands to subsequent increase of EHS , but HWA abundance was not strongly dependent on EHS abundance. This study demonstrates how incorporating spatial and temporal dependence into a species distribution model can reveal the dependence of a species’ abundance on other species in the community. Accounting for dependence among co‐occurring species with a joint distribution model can also improve estimation of the abiotic niche for species affected by interspecific interactions.