Before revision:  Equilibrium priority effects also require low fecundity in both annuals and perennials and small fitness differences, as determined by their relative fecundity, survival probability, and competitive ability at the seedling stage. 4. Transient priority effects need only small fitness differences. Furthermore, the model indicate that transient priority effects could last several decades under a range of the parameter space, exceeding the duration of typical experiments and observations. 5. Synthesis: Our results suggest that equilibrium priority effects driven by a life-history trade-off are possible but may be uncommon because they require unrealistically low fecundity . In contrast, transient priority effects should be more likely. Previous empirical findings of priority effects in grasslands may mostly indicate alternative transient , rather than stable , states, or other mechanisms than a life-history tradeoff .
After revision:  Equilibrium priority effects also require low fecundity and therefore occurs even in infinitely large communities. In many cases where the establishment-longevity tradeoff does not cause alternative stable equilibria, it still decreases the rate of convergence toward the single equilibrium, resulting in decades of transient dynamics that can appear indistinguishable from alternative stable equilibria in empirical studies .