Fig. 4. Patterns between abundance and incidence-based distance reveal seasonal shifts in assembly processes.

a Distances between DNA and RNA of the same sample within ordination space were averaged by habitat type and season. Abundance-based (colored points, m_BC) and incidence-based distance (hollow points, m_S) indicate spatio-seasonal trends in strong mass effects, especially in spring with high incidence-based distances. b ∆-distances between m_BC and m_S indicate shifts in the relative contribution of incidence- vs. abundance-based distances along the continuum, with high ∆-distances indicating stronger selective forces. Habitats sampled outside the direct continuum are given as an additional meta-community context.