DOI: 10.5061/dryad.qt30h
title: Data from: The phylogenetics of succession can guide restoration: an example from abandoned mine sites in the subarctic

description: 1. Phylogenetic tools have increasingly been used in community ecology to
 describe evolutionary relationships among co-occurring species. In studies
 of succession, such tools may allow us to identify evolutionary lineages
 most suited for particular stages of succession and habitat
 rehabilitation. However, to date these two applications have been largely
 separate. Here, we suggest that information on phylogenetic community
 structure might help inform community restoration strategies following
 major disturbance. 2. Our study examined phylogenetic patterns of
 succession based on a chronosequence of three abandoned subarctic mine
 spoil heaps (waste piles) dating from the early 1970s, mid-1970s and early
 1980s. The vegetation at each mine site was compared to the surrounding
 vegetation and community structure on mines was explored assuming species
 pools at nested spatial scales. 3. We found that the adjacent vegetation
 was more phylogenetically clustered than the vegetation on the mines, with
 mines demonstrating weaker phylogenetic community structure. Using
 simulation models, we showed that phylogenetic dissimilarity between mine
 sites did not depart from null expectations. However, we found evidence
 for species sorting along abiotic gradients (slope and aspect) on the mine
 sites that had been abandoned for the longest. 4. Synthesis and
 applications. Understanding the trajectory of succession is critical for
 restoration efforts. Our results suggest that early colonizers represent a
 phylogenetically random subset of species from the local species pool.
 Over time there appears to be selection for particular lineages that come
 to be filtered across space and environment. The species most appropriate
 for mine site restoration might, therefore, depend on the successional
 stage of the community and the local species composition. For example, in
 later succession, it could be more beneficial to facilitate establishment
 of more distant relatives. Our findings can improve management practices
 by providing relatedness information for known successful colonizers and
 by informing seeding decisions with knowledge of the surrounding and
 regional species pools. The application of phylogenetics to restoration
 ecology and succession is relatively new, but it has the potential to
 provide novel insight into the dynamics of changing community structures
 during succession.
description: Schefferville Mines:
 Gagnon mine and surrounding vegetation floraSite by species matrix
 of species found on and around the Gagnon mine in Schefferville, Quebec,
 Canada. This data was collected in the field. Please see the associated
 ReadMe file for more information.GagnonCommunityMatrix.csvSchefferville Mines: Retty mine and surrounding vegetation floraSite by species matrix of species found on and around the Retty mine in Schefferville, Quebec, Canada. This data was collected in the field. Please see the associated ReadMe file for more information.RettyCommunityMatrix.csvSchefferville Mines: Timmins mine and surrounding vegetation floraSite by species matrix of species found on and around the Timmins mine in Schefferville, Quebec, Canada. This data was collected in the field. Please see the associated ReadMe file for more information.TimminsCommunityMatrix.csv