Extreme events and ecological thresholds: The role of community priming

Extreme events, such as droughts and deluges, are expected intensify with climate change. As these extreme events become more prolonged or occur more frequently over time, the likelihood that ecological thresholds will be exceeded is expected to increase, resulting in changes in plant community composition via species re-ordering. We contend that such shifts in species abundances may ‘prime’ ecosystems for rapid transitions as extreme events extend over time or occur in succession, eroding an ecosystem’s resistance and resilience to further change. We refer to this as the community priming effect.