Interspecific variation in dispersal ability plays an important role in both ecological succession and local adaptation to environment. In a theoretical model where species differ in dispersal ability, ecological succession involves community shifts from good dispersers to poor dispersers. Separately, dispersal ability effects local adaptation, where better dispersers have greater within-population genetic diversity in a locally-adapted trait due to maladaptive immigration. The simultaneous eco-evolutionary responses of co-occurring species to temporal environmental change may influence community dynamics.
Results/Conclusions
Using a quantitative genetic theory of local adaptation, we find that species with greater dispersal ability, that also are first to colonize following ecological disturbance, have lower equilibrium population size due to maladaptive immigrant genotypes (migration load). However, following environmental change, high dispersal species evolve faster than low dispersal species due to greater standing genetic diversity. As a result, communities may undergo a transient reversal in relative abundance, i.e. community inversion. This transient community turnover closely follows the purely ecological successional dynamics seen in response to disturbance. Our results demonstrate how differences in dispersal ability may have far-reaching impacts on the ecology and evolution of community response to disturbance and environmental change.