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CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Robustness and limitations of maximum entropy in plant community assembly
Ecological informatics, Vol.86, 103031
2025
Abstract
An in-depth understanding of local plant community assembly is critical to direct conservation efforts to promising areas and increase the efficiency of management strategies. This, however, remains elusive due to the sheer complexity of ecological processes. The maximum entropy-based Community Assembly via Trait Selection (CATS) model was designed to quantify the relative contributions of trait-based filtering, dispersal mass effects, and stochastic processes on community assembly. As a maximum entropy model, it does so without introducing additional bias or assumptions. Despite its increasing use, questions regarding its robustness and potential limitations remain. Here, we compared model predictions using either local or database-derived trait values, across different levels of species richness and between different taxonomic levels. A total of 19 datasets and 790 plots were analysed, spanning multiple habitat types (n = 18) and biomes (n = 7). Results indicate trait value origin does indeed influence model outcomes, warranting caution in selecting the method for obtaining trait data. We hypothesise that, for example, intraspecific trait variation combined with trait-based filtering or stochastic processes causes local and database trait values to deviate, potentially even further exacerbated by imputing missing trait data. Furthermore, trait-related information obtained from the model decreased with increasing species richness. We further hypothesise this could signal that stochastic processes are more dominant within species-rich systems, for example, due to functional redundancy or the existence of multiple fitness strategies. This general pattern was conserved across biomes, although with varying strength, showing CATS’ robustness despite these challenges.
Details
- Title
- Robustness and limitations of maximum entropy in plant community assembly
- Authors/Creators
- Jelyn GerkemaDaniel E. BunkerAndrew M. CunliffeErika BazzatoMichela MarignaniTommaso SitziaIsabelle Aubin - Natural Resources CanadaStefano Chelli - Università di CamerinoJulieta A. RosellPeter PoschlodJosep Penuelas - Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry ApplicationsArildo S. Dias - Goethe University FrankfurtChristian RossiTanvir A. ShovonJuan A. Campos - University of the Basque CountryMark C. VanderwelSharif A. MukulBruno E.L. Cerabolini - University of InsubriaThomas SibretBruno Hérault - Forests and SocietiesSylvain SchmittPedro Higuchi - Universidade do Estado de Santa CatarinaJames L. Tsakalos - Murdoch University, Centre for Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and SustainabilityDecky I. JunaediYun-Peng ZhaoVanessa MindenAna Carolina da SilvaTereza MaškováRoberto CanulloNing DongEdwin T. Pos
- Publication Details
- Ecological informatics, Vol.86, 103031
- Publisher
- Elsevier B.V.
- Number of pages
- 15
- Identifiers
- 991005741586407891
- Copyright
- © 2025 The Authors.
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Harry Butler Institute
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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Source: InCites
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.40 Forestry
- 3.40.86 Plant Communities
- Web Of Science research areas
- Ecology
- ESI research areas
- Environment/Ecology