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 , de Jesus Veiga Carim Marcelo , 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. , Piedade Maria Teresa Fernandez , Pitman Nigel C. A. , Mendoza Abel Monteagudo , Ramos José Ferreira , Hawes Joseph E. , Almeida Everton José , Barbosa Luciane Ferreira , Cavalheiro Larissa , dos Santos Márcia Cléia Vilela , Luize Bruno Garcia , de Leão Novo Evlyn Márcia Moraes , Vargas Percy Núñez , Silva Thiago Sanna Freire , Venticinque Eduardo Martins , Manzatto Angelo Gilberto , Reis Neidiane Farias Costa , Terborgh John , Casula Katia Regina , Coronado Euridice N. Honorio , 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. , de Sousa Farias Emanuelle , Lopes Maria Aparecida , Magalhães José Leonardo Lima , Nascimento Henrique Eduardo Mendonça , de Queiroz Helder Lima , Aymard Gerardo A. C. , Brienen Roel , Revilla Juan David Cardenas , Costa Flávia R. C. , Quaresma Adriano , Vieira Ima Célia Guimarães , Cintra Bruno Barçante Ladvocat , 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 , de Sá Carpanedo Rainiellen , Emilio Thaise , Levis Carolina , de Jesus Rodrigues Domingos , Schietti Juliana , Souza Priscila , Alonso Alfonso , Dallmeier Francisco , Gomes Vitor H. F. , Lloyd Jon , Neill David , de Aguiar Daniel Praia Portela , 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 , Mora Maria Cristina Peñuela , Peres Carlos A. , Zegarra Boris Eduardo Villa , 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 , Pena José Luis Marcelo , Silman Miles R. , Tello J. Sebastián , Chave Jerome , Valverde Fernando Cornejo , Di Fiore Anthony , Hilário Renato Richard , Phillips Juan Fernando , Rivas-Torres Gonzalo , van Andel Tinde R. , von Hildebrand Patricio , Barbosa Edelcilio Marques , de Matos Bonates Luiz Carlos , Doza Hilda Paulette Dávila , Fonty Émile , Gómez Ricardo Zárate , Gonzales Therany , Gonzales George Pepe Gallardo , Guillaumet Jean-Louis , Hoffman Bruce , Junqueira André Braga , Malhi Yadvinder , de Andrade Miranda Ires Paula , Pinto Linder Felipe Mozombite , 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. , Costa Janaina Barbosa Pedrosa , 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 , van der Heijden Geertje , Torre Emilio Vilanova , Vriesendorp Corine , Wang Ophelia , Young Kenneth R. , Reategui Manuel Augusto Ahuite , Baider Cláudia , Balslev Henrik , Cárdenas Sasha , Casas Luisa Fernanda , Farfan-Rios William , Ferreira Cid , Linares-Palomino Reynaldo , Mendoza Casimiro , Mesones Italo , Torres-Lezama Armando , Giraldo Ligia Estela Urrego , 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: February 2023

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.