DOI: 10.5061/dryad.k98sf7mgx
title: Spatial, environmental, and functional distances among temporal ponds attenuate synchronization, stabilizing plant richness and biomass dynamics

description: Synchronized dynamics reduces ecosystem stability, as local variations in
 biomass or richness are directly propagated to variations in metacommunity
 dynamics. Synchronization of biodiversity dynamics can occur due to
 dispersal among communities and similar responses of different communities
 to correlated environmental variations, the Moran effect. This congruent
 response of different communities to environmental dynamics depends on
 their similar functional composition, which is determined by the
 similarity in local conditions and the spatial distance between them. In a
 metacommunity of 51 temporary ponds that were surveyed for 14 years, we
 evaluated the existence of synchronized dynamics in plant richness and
 biomass among communities, and their association with temporal stability.
 A wide range of dynamics was observed, from asynchronous to synchronous
 rhythms. Path analysis based on Mantel tests supported the decoupling of
 richness dynamics by the geographic, environmental, and functional
 distances between pairs of communities. However, only the functional
 distance between communities weakly affected biomass synchrony. Synchrony
 in both richness and biomass between communities reduced the stability of
 the biomass dynamic. However, while synchrony in richness reduced its
 stability, synchrony in biomass enhanced the stability in richness
 dynamic. The role of rare species in richness dynamics and of dominant
 species in biomass dynamics may explain the observed discrepancies.
 Consequently, the size of metacommunities (the spatial extent and number
 of local communities), spatial heterogeneity, and functional diversity
 promote ecosystem stabilization by the mechanisms evidenced here. Climate
 change, environmental homogenization, and landscape fragmentation may
 drive the synchronization and destabilization of biodiversity dynamics.
description: Note of caution: The last version of this database is available
 in https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.12jm63z32, Arim and Pinelli, 2023. This database is continuously updated, and the taxonomy of some rare species was corrected in relation with the database used in the present manuscript. For reproductivity of Sosa-Panzera et al., 2024 results consider this database. In the case of performing novel analyses, we recommend using data available in Arim and Pinelli, 2023. Methods Every spring since 2005, ponds have been sampled equidistantly using 20x20 cm quadrants on the major axis. On average, five quadrants were sampled in most ponds. However, to account for the range of pond areas, which exhibits differences in several orders of magnitude (from 6.6 m2 to 24,673 m<sup>2</sup>) when the quadrants were closer than two meters, the number of sampled units was reduced, and if the quadrants were more than 10 meters apart, then the number of sampled units was increased. A species-by-trait matrix was constructed from a review of the literature and direct observations. The list of traits considered is presented, introducing their description and functional roles. Different traits related to dispersal strategy, competitive ability, drought resistance strategy, life history, and tolerance to stress were considered. Environmental data. The environmental variables recorded for each pond included area, shape (major versus minor diameter ratio), average depth, and the coefficient of variation for the depth of the pond.The area of the pond was estimated as the area of an oval using the length of the major and minor axes of the ponds. Heterogeneity was estimated as the number of 'islands', emergent mounds above water level, per meter of the main and minor axes of the ponds. The average environmental values during the sampling time were used.
description: # Spatial, environmental, and functional distances among temporal ponds
 attenuate synchronization, stabilizing plant richness and biomass dynamics
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.k98sf7mgx](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.k98sf7mgx) ## Description of the data and file structure The last version of this database is available in [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.12jm63z32,](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.12jm63z32) Arim and Pinelli, 2023. This database is continuously updated, and the taxonomy of some rare species was corrected in relation with the database used in the present manuscript. For reproductivity of Sosa-Panzera et al., 2024 results consider this database. In the case of performing novel analyses, we recommend using data available in Arim and Pinelli, 2023. The metacommunity of located in a flat landscape surrounded by hills, where a maximum of 61 ponds, every year, are filled with water in winter and dry out in summer in the same spatial locations. The study area is located in the Castillos Lagoon basin, in the Rocha department, Uruguay (3415'16.9 "S 53 58'51.6 "W; 5-8 meters altitude). Information on species occurrences at the sampling unit level were recorded since 2005 (until 2022 and continue). Databases of species occurrences and biomass, species traits, and local environment conditions are provided. #### Species Occurrences FILE: "1.Species_Database.csv" Matrix with columns: Year, Month, Pond, Quadrat (sample unit) and 100 species in which each column represent the observation (or not) of the species. #### Species Traits FILE: "2.Traits_spp.csv" A species-by-trait matrix constructed from literature review and direct observations. The list of traits considered is presented, introducing their description and functional roles. See Arim et al. 2023, and Arim and Pinelli, 2023 for details. | **Trait** | **Description** | **Attributes** | **Related function** | | :--------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------- | | Status | Origin, distribution and propagation tendency in the regional flora | Native, endemic, naturalized, adventitia, cosmopolitan, introduced | Dispersion, colonization, competition | | Seed size | Main axis length | No seeds, &lt;1 mm, 1–3mm, 3–mm, &gt;5mm | Regeneration, dispersion, persistence. Response to disturbance | | Seed shape | Geometric approximation of the seed form | No seeds, spherical, ellipsoid, compressed, elongated, winged | Regeneration, dispersion. Response to disturbance | | Dispersal syndrome | Dispersal agents correlated to seed morphological characters | Barochory, anemochory, zoochory | Regeneration, dispersion | | Vegetative spread | Capacity of production of clones through rhizomes, stolons or bulbs | Yes, no | Colonization. Persistence. Response to disturbance | | Leaf size | Leaf area | Leafless, &lt;2 cm2, 2–5 cm2, &gt;5 cm2 | Light capture. Competition | | Habit | Mode of vegetative growth | Prostrate, erect, cespitose, rosette | Space occupation. Resources capture. Response to disturbance | | Sculthorpe | Occupation of microhabitats within the pond. Position on the edge-centre and bottom-surface gradients | No hydrophyte, amphibious, rooted and emergent, rooted with floating leaves, rooted and submerged, free with floating leaves, free and submerged | Space occupation. Resources capture. Competition | | Plant height | Vegetative height of adults, in vertical direction | Continuous, in cm. Maximum value is | Light capture. Competition | | Stem length | Vegetative length of the main plant axis (stems) in any direction | Continuous, in cm. Maximum value is 180 cm | Light and resources capture. Space occupation | | Persistence | Life span | Annual, biennial, perennial | Space occupation. Longevity | | Reproductive period | Season when flowering begins | Spring, summer, autumn, winter | Time occupation. Competition | | Stem type | Stem woodiness | Herbaceous, semiwoody, woody | Space occupation. Longevity | | Nitrogen fixation | Increased nitrogen fixation by association with nitrogen fixing bacteria | Yes, no | Resources capture. Competition | | Anaerobiosis tolerance | Tolerance to low or null oxygen content levels | Yes, no | Stress tolerance | | Drought tolerance | Tolerance to low soil water content levels | Yes, no | Stress tolerance | | Photosynthetic path | Metabolic carbon fixation pathway | C3, C4 | Stress tolerance. Resources capture | | Raunkiaer | The relation of the perennating tissue (meristematic tissue that remains inactive during the unfavorable season) to the ground surface | Therophyte, cryptophyte, hemicryptophyte, chamaephyte, phanerophyte | Response to disturbance. Stress tolerance | #### Species Biomass FILE: "3.Species_bm.csv" Matrix with columns: Year, Month, Pond, Quadrat (sample unit), Richness (annual total richness per pond) and Biomass (annual mean of dry green biomass per pond; g/area). #### Environmental data FILE: "4.Env_database.csv" Environmental variables available for each pond. The average environmental values during the sampling time were used. | **Variable** | **Description** | **Units** | | :------------ | :---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------ | | Year | Year sample date | - | | Month | Month sample date | - | | Pond | Id pond | - | | X | Latitude | - | | Year | Longitud | - | | DM | Major diameter of the pond | m | | ddmm | Minor diameter of the pond | m | | Shape | Shape of the pond estimated as ddmm/Dm | m | | Heterogeneity | Number of islands observed, emergent mounds above water level, per meter of the main and minor axes of the ponds. | Islands/meter | | Mean Depth | Mean depth of the pond | cm | | sd.Depth | Standard deviation in depth meassures | cm | | CV.Depth | Coefficient of vairation in depth | cm | | Area | Pond area | m2 | | log.Area | Pond area expressed in log10 scale | m2 | | Volume | Pond volume | m3 | | log.Vol | Pond volume expressed in log10 scale | m3 |