Variation in successional niche turnover of multiple taxa in a recovering tropical rainforest

Edith Villa Galaviz, Gunnar Brehm, Santiago F. Burneo, Ugo Mendes Diniz , David A. Donoso, María-José Endara, Santiago Erazo, Sebastián Escobar, Ana Sofía Falconí-Lopez, Nina Farwig, Heike Feldhaar, Mishell Garcia Villamarin, Juan Ernesto Guevara-Andino, Nina Grella, Katrin Heer, Michael Heethoff, Alexander Keller, Anna R. Landim, Sara D. Leonhardt, Diego Marín Armijos, Timo Metz, Jörg Müller, Karla Neira Salamea, Eike Lena Neuschulz, Karen M. Pedersen, Mark-Oliver Rödel, Martin Schaefer, Matthias Schleuning, Thomas Schmitt, Eva Tamargo López, Arianna Tartara , Boris A Tinoco, Constance J Tremlett, Marco Tschapka, Sybille B. Unsicker, Nico Blüthgen

Understanding the niche turnover of ecological communities is fundamental for advancing successional theory and effective restoration. However, since niche preferences are known for a few taxa, ecosystem succession is only partially understood. To fill this gap, using a null model approach, we determined the niche optimal within eighteen ecological communities (bacteria, animals, and plants) across a tropical rainforest chronosequence to assess niche successional turnover. The approach was reliable, as niche determinations aligned with known habitat preferences of well-studied taxa (birds, trees, mammals). We found that niche turnover was pronounced, with one-third classified as early (pioneers), mid (intermediate), or late-successional (climax). Such turnover was continuous, with low species overlap and the highest species richness in old-growth forests, rejecting the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, which predicts a peak in mid-successional forests. Our results highlight the importance of old growth and the necessity of addressing the distinct needs of various ecological communities for restoration.