Ecologists have long realized that stable species richness values can mask rapid turnover in species composition. Because turnover occurs as a consequence of both local and regional processes, understanding the responsible factors provides insight on processes influencing community structure at different scales. Despite the insights to be gained from data on species turnover, they remain relatively uncommon. We present data on the interannual turnover in species composition of larval amphibian communities in 37 ponds over seven years. Species composition of a given pond community was highly dynamic; about half of the species that could be found breeding in a particular pond were actually present in a given year. All species participated in this community turnover, but to different degrees.

Citation: Werner EE, Yurewicz KL, Skelly DK, Relyea RA. 2007. Turnover in an amphibian metacommunity: the role of local and regional factors OIKOS 116 (10): 1713-1725