Identifying the processes that structure plant communities across the United States: generalizable rules across disparate communities?

Background/Question/Methods: There has been an increasing number of studies using phylogenetic data to examine patterns of community structure. However, it remains unknown whether phylogenetic relationships alone can reveal generalizable patterns across ecologically diverse communities. Combining plant survey data from the National Ecological Observatory Network with phylogenetic data, we examine multiple plant communities across the United States to determine whether similar phylogenetic patterns emerge.

Results/Conclusions: We find that phylogenetic data can reveal important details about community structure, but it alone has limited utility as a predictive tool for community assembly. Instead, given the multi-faceted nature of community assembly, the additional use of phenotypic data may better elucidate the processes that shape communities.