Abstract
Aim The mechanisms determining the distribution of the number of sites species occupy, the occupancy frequency distribution (OFD), remain incompletely understood despite decades of research. To explore the dominant mechanisms responsible for the shape and temporal dynamics of empirical OFD, we develop a simple patch occupancy framework with intrinsically regulated local richness and fit the model to a highly replicated dataset describing macroinvertebrate, macrophyte and diatom occupancy. Location England. Time period Up to years between 1990 and 2020. Major taxa studied Macroinvertebrates, macrophytes and diatoms. Methods We study the OFD in a highly replicated dataset of freshwater metacommunities in England across time. We consider temporal change in species richness, composition, and in the shape of the OFD. Goodness‐of‐fit of the steady state of a simple patch occupancy model—which predicts a log‐series OFD—to the empirical observations is assessed. Additionally, we test the capacity of the model to predict metacommunity‐scale processes. Results Our model provides a consistently good fit to empirical OFDs. It can additionally be used to predict metacommunity‐scale species turnover. Main conclusions Our results support the view that metacommunity structure reflects a dynamic steady state controlled by local limits to coexistence.