On the Balance between Niche and Neutral Processes as Drivers of Community Structure along a Successional Gradient: Insights from Alpine and Sub-alpine Meadow Communities

摘要

Background and Aims Neutral theory predicts that the diversity and relative abundance of species in ecological communities do not depend on their specific traits. This prediction remains controversial, as many studies suggest that variations in the niches of species determine the structure of communities. The aim of this study was to test empirically the relative importance of niche and neutral processes as drivers of species abundance within plant communities along a successional gradient.