Unraveling Amazon tree community assembly using Maximum Information Entropy: a quantitative analysis of tropical forest ecology
Authors: Pos Edwin , de Souza Coelho Luiz , de Andrade Lima Filho Diogenes , Salomão Rafael P. , Amaral Iêda Leão , de Almeida Matos Francisca Dionízia , Castilho Carolina V. , Phillips Oliver L. , Guevara Juan Ernesto , Carim Marcelo de Jesus Veiga , López Dairon Cárdenas , Magnusson William E. , Wittmann Florian , Irume Mariana Victória , Martins Maria Pires , Sabatier Daniel , da Silva Guimarães José Renan , Molino Jean-François , Bánki Olaf S. , Fernandez Piedade Maria Teresa , Pitman Nigel C.A. , Mendoza Abel Monteagudo , Ramos José Ferreira , Hawes Joseph E. , Almeida Everton José , Barbosa Luciane Ferreira , Cavalheiro Larissa , Vilela dos Santos Márcia Cléia , Luize Bruno Garcia , Moraes de Leão Novo Evlyn Márcia , Vargas Percy Núñez , Freire Silva Thiago Sanna , Venticinque Eduardo Martins , Manzatto Angelo Gilberto , Costa Reis Neidiane Farias , Terborgh John , Casula Katia Regina , Honorio Coronado Euridice N. , Montero Juan Carlos , Marimon Beatriz S. , Marimon-Junior Ben Hur , Feldpausch Ted R. , Duque Alvaro , Baraloto Chris , Arboleda Nicolás Castaño , Engel Julien , Petronelli Pascal , Zartman Charles Eugene , Killeen Timothy J. , Vasquez Rodolfo , Mostacedo Bonifacio , Assis Rafael L. , Schöngart Jochen , Castellanos Hernán , de Medeiros Marcelo Brilhante , Simon Marcelo Fragomeni , Andrade Ana , Camargo José Luís , Demarchi Layon O. , Laurance William F. , Laurance Susan G.W. , Sousa Farias Emanuelle de , Lopes Maria Aparecida , Lima Magalhães José Leonardo , Mendonça Nascimento Henrique Eduardo , de Queiroz Helder Lima , Aymard C. Gerardo A. , Brienen Roel , Cardenas Revilla Juan David , Costa Flávia R.C. , Quaresma Adriano , Guimarães Vieira Ima Célia , Ladvocat Cintra Bruno Barçante , Stevenson Pablo R. , Feitosa Yuri Oliveira , Duivenvoorden Joost F. , Mogollón Hugo F. , Ferreira Leandro Valle , Comiskey James A. , Draper Freddie , de Toledo José Julio , Damasco Gabriel , Dávila Nállarett , García-Villacorta Roosevelt , Lopes Aline , Vicentini Alberto , Noronha Janaína Costa , Barbosa Flávia Rodrigues , Sá Carpanedo Rainiellen de , Emilio Thaise , Levis Carolina , Jesus Rodrigues Domingos de , Schietti Juliana , Souza Priscila , Alonso Alfonso , Dallmeier Francisco , Gomes Vitor H.F. , Lloyd Jon , Neill David , Portela de Aguiar Daniel Praia , Araujo-Murakami Alejandro , Arroyo Luzmila , Carvalho Fernanda Antunes , de Souza Fernanda Coelho , do Amaral Dário Dantas , Feeley Kenneth J. , Gribel Rogerio , Pansonato Marcelo Petratti , Barlow Jos , Berenguer Erika , Ferreira Joice , Fine Paul V.A. , Guedes Marcelino Carneiro , Jimenez Eliana M. , Licona Juan Carlos , Peñuela Mora Maria Cristina , Peres Carlos A. , Villa Zegarra Boris Eduardo , Cerón Carlos , Henkel Terry W. , Maas Paul , Silveira Marcos , Stropp Juliana , Thomas-Caesar Raquel , Baker Tim R. , Daly Doug , Dexter Kyle G. , Householder John Ethan , Huamantupa-Chuquimaco Isau , Pennington Toby , Paredes Marcos Ríos , Fuentes Alfredo , Marcelo Pena José Luis , Silman Miles R. , Tello J. Sebastián , Chave Jerome , Valverde Fernando Cornejo , Fiore Anthony Di , Hilário Renato Richard , Phillips Juan Fernando , Rivas-Torres Gonzalo , van Andel Tinde R. , von Hildebrand Patricio , Barbosa Edelcilio Marques , de Matos Bonates Luiz Carlos , Dávila Doza Hilda Paulette , Fonty Émile , Gómez Ricardo Zárate , Gonzales Therany , Gallardo Gonzales George Pepe , Guillaumet Jean-Louis , Hoffman Bruce , Junqueira André Braga , Malhi Yadvinder , de Andrade Miranda Ires Paula , Mozombite Pinto Linder Felipe , Prieto Adriana , Rudas Agustín , Ruschel Ademir R. , Silva Natalino , Vela César I.A. , Vos Vincent Antoine , Zent Egleé L. , Zent Stanford , Albuquerque Bianca Weiss , Cano Angela , Correa Diego F. , Pedrosa Costa Janaina Barbosa , Flores Bernardo Monteiro , Holmgren Milena , Nascimento Marcelo Trindade , Oliveira Alexandre A. , Ramirez-Angulo Hirma , Rocha Maira , Scudeller Veridiana Vizoni , Sierra Rodrigo , Tirado Milton , Umaña Maria Natalia , der Heijden Geertje van , Torre Emilio Vilanova , Vriesendorp Corine , Wang Ophelia , Young Kenneth R. , Ahuite Reategui Manuel Augusto , Baider Cláudia , Balslev Henrik , Cárdenas Sasha , Casas Luisa Fernanda , Farfan-Rios William , Ferreira Cid , Linares-Palomino Reynaldo , Mendoza Casimiro , Mesones Italo , Torres-Lezama Armando , Urrego Giraldo Ligia Estela , Villarroel Daniel , Zagt Roderick , Alexiades Miguel N. , Garcia-Cabrera Karina , Hernandez Lionel , Milliken William , Cuenca Walter Palacios , Pansini Susamar , Pauletto Daniela , Arevalo Freddy Ramirez , Sampaio Adeilza Felipe , Sandoval Elvis H. Valderrama , Gamarra Luis Valenzuela , Boenisch Gerhard , Kattge Jens , Kraft Nathan , Levesley Aurora , Melgaço Karina , Pickavance Georgia , Poorter Lourens , ter Steege Hans 
Published: April 2021

In a time of rapid global change, the question of what determines patterns in species abundance distribution remains a priority for understanding the complex dynamics of ecosystems. The constrained maximization of information entropy provides a framework for the understanding of such complex systems dynamics by a quantitative analysis of important constraints via predictions using least biased probability distributions. We apply it to over two thousand hectares of Amazonian tree inventories across seven forest types and thirteen functional traits, representing major global axes of plant strategies. Results show that constraints formed by regional relative abundances of genera explain eight times more of local relative abundances than constraints based on directional selection for specific functional traits, although the latter does show clear signals of environmental dependency. These results provide a quantitative insight by inference from large-scale data using cross-disciplinary methods, furthering our understanding of ecological dynamics.