Spatial versus spatio-temporal approaches for studying metacommunities: a multi-taxon analysis in Mediterranean and tropical temporary ponds

Abstract

Prior research on metacommunities has largely focused on snapshot surveys, often overlooking temporal dynamics. In this study, our aim was to compare the insights obtained from metacommunity analyses based on a spatial approach repeated over time, with a spatio-temporal approach that consolidates all data into a single model. We empirically assessed the influence of temporal variation in the environment and spatial connectivity on the structure of metacommunities in tropical and Mediterranean temporary ponds. Employing a standardized methodology across both regions, we surveyed multiple freshwater taxa in three time periods within the same hydrological year from multiple temporary ponds in each region. To evaluate how environmental, spatial and temporal influences vary between the two approaches, we used nonlinear variation partitioning analyses based on generalized additive models. Overall, this study underscores the importance of adopting spatio-temporal analytics to better understand the processes shaping metacommunities. While the spatial approach suggested that environmental factors had a greater influence, our spatio-temporal analysis revealed that spatial connectivity was the primary driver influencing metacommunity structure in both regions. Temporal effects were equally important as environmental effects, suggesting a significant role of ecological succession in metacommunity structure

This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness–AEI, and FEDER (EU), through project METACOM-SET (CGL2016-78260-P) awarded to F.M.-J. and J. Armengol (Universitat de València). Á.G. was also supported by an FPI fellowship BES-2017-080022 from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness. This work was partly supported by the projects CLIMAWET-CONS (PID2019-104742RB-I00) and WETCARVER (PDC2022-133205-I00), funded by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) of the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN) of the Spanish Government, the latter co-funded with MRR-EU Funds, both projects awarded to Antonio Camacho (Universitat de València)