How to design trait-based analyses of community assembly mechanisms: Insights and guidelines from a literature review

摘要

One of the fundamental challenges in ecology is to identify the signature of assembly mechanisms resulting from patterns of community composition. For this purpose, the trait-based approach has promoted the analysis of functional trait distributions within communities. Until now, much attention has been paid to the design of appropriate null models and the definition of relevant functional metrics for inferring community assembly mechanisms from trait distributions. However, less consideration were given to the set of methodological choices preceding the statistical analysis - i.e. from designing a sampling scheme to measuring traits - and how likely they influence the conclusions drawn, as this may subject the analysis to methodological biases. In this regard, a comprehensive perspective on how the overall set of methodological choices influence the inference of community assembly mechanisms is needed.