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Durand-Bessart C, Akomo-Okoue EF, Ebang Ella GW, Porcher V, Bitome Essono PY, Bretagnolle F, Fontaine C. Local people enhance our understanding of Afrotropical frugivory networks. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1541-1548.e3. [PMID: 38452760 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Afrotropical forests are undergoing massive change caused by defaunation, i.e., the human-induced decline of animal species,1 most of which are frugivorous species.1,2,3 Frugivores' depletion and their functional disappearance are expected to cascade on tree dispersal and forest structure via interaction networks,4,5,6,7 as the majority of tree species depend on frugivores for their dispersal.8 However, frugivory networks remain largely unknown, especially in Afrotropical areas,9,10,11 which considerably limits our ability to predict changes in forest dynamics and structures using network analysis.12,13,14,15 While the academic workforce may be inadequate to fill this knowledge gap before it is too late, local ecological knowledge appears as a valuable source of ecological information and could significantly contribute to our understanding of such crucial interactions for tropical forests.16,17,18,19,20,21 To investigate potential synergies between local ecological knowledge and academic knowledge,20,21 we compiled frugivory interactions linking 286 trees to 100 frugivore species from the academic literature and local ecological knowledge coming from interviews of Gabonese forest-dependent people. Here, we showed that local ecological knowledge on frugivory interactions was substantial and original, with 39% of these interactions unknown by science. We demonstrated that combining academic and local ecological knowledge affects the functional relationship linking frugivore body mass to seed size, as well as the network structure. Our results highlight the benefits of bridging knowledge systems between academics and local communities for a better understanding of the functioning and response to perturbations of Afrotropical forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clémentine Durand-Bessart
- Biogeosciences, UMR 6282, Université Bourgogne Franche Comte-CNRS, 21000 Dijon, France; Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation, CESCO, UMR 7204, MNHN-CNRS-SU, 75005 Paris, France; SENS, IRD, CIRAD, 34000 Montpellier, France.
| | | | | | - Vincent Porcher
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; SENS, IRD, CIRAD, 34000 Montpellier, France
| | | | - François Bretagnolle
- Biogeosciences, UMR 6282, Université Bourgogne Franche Comte-CNRS, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Colin Fontaine
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation, CESCO, UMR 7204, MNHN-CNRS-SU, 75005 Paris, France
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2
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Nakas G, Kantsa A, Vujić A, Mescher MC, De Moraes CΜ, Petanidou T. Recent fire in a Mediterranean ecosystem strengthens hoverfly populations and their interaction networks with plants. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9803. [PMID: 36789333 PMCID: PMC9905663 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Fire affects many critical ecological processes, including pollination, and effects of climate change on fire regimes may have profound consequences that are difficult to predict. Considerable work has examined effects of fire on pollinator diversity, but relatively few studies have examined these effects on interaction networks including those of pollinators other than bees. We examined the effects of a severe wildfire on hoverfly pollinators in a Mediterranean island system. Using data collected over 3 consecutive years at burnt and unburnt sites, we documented differences in species diversity, abundance, and functional traits, as well as hoverfly interactions with flowering plants. Hoverfly abundance and species richness peaked during the first post-fire flowering season (year 1), which coincided with the presence of many opportunistic species. Also in year 1, hoverfly pollination networks were larger, less specialized, more nested, and less modular at burnt (vs. unburnt) sites; furthermore, these networks exhibited higher phylogenetic host-plant diversity. These effects declined over the next 2 years, with burnt and unburnt sites converging in similarity to hoverfly communities and interaction networks. While data obtained over 3 years provide a clear timeline of initial post-fire recovery, we emphasize the importance of longer-term monitoring for understanding the responses of natural communities to wildfires, which are projected to become more frequent and more destructive in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Nakas
- Department of GeographyUniversity of the AegeanMytileneGreece
| | - Aphrodite Kantsa
- Department of Environmental System SciencesETH ZürichZürichSwitzerland
| | - Ante Vujić
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of SciencesUniversity of Novi SadNovi SadSerbia
| | - Mark C. Mescher
- Department of Environmental System SciencesETH ZürichZürichSwitzerland
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3
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Body mass determines the role of mammal species in a frugivore-large fruit interaction network in a Neotropical savanna. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467422000505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Frugivorous mammals play an important role in maintaining biodiversity and are considered one of the main dispersers of large seeds. In this study, we describe the structure of the interaction network between non-flying mammals and seven plant species with large fruits in a megadiverse savanna-forest mosaic in the Brazilian Cerrado. We also evaluated the individual contribution of each species to the organization of the interaction network and tested whether body mass determined the mammals’ role in the network. To record frugivory events of mammals with arboreal and terrestrial habits, camera traps were installed at ground and canopy levels. We identified 18 mammal species interacting with seven plant species in 515 frugivory events. Our observations highlight an interaction network with a modular and non-nested topology and the important role of large mammals in the network structure, which reflects the importance of the group in potential seed dispersal. The extinction of large frugivorous mammals can cause several damages to ecosystem services in the Brazilian Cerrado through changes in network structure, especially threatening the survival of plant species with large fruits.
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4
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Blanchard G, Munoz F. Revisiting extinction debt through the lens of multitrophic networks and meta‐ecosystems. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Grégoire Blanchard
- AMAP, Univ. Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD Montpellier France
- AMAP, IRD, Herbier de Nouvelle Calédonie Nouméa Nouvelle Calédonie
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5
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Corro EJ, Villalobos F, Lira-Noriega A, Guevara R, Dáttilo W. Current climate and latitude shape the structure of bat-fruit interaction networks throughout the Neotropical region. ECOSCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2021.2007644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erick J. Corro
- Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, Mexico
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Veracruzana, Córdoba, Mexico
| | | | - Andrés Lira-Noriega
- CONACYT Research Fellow, Red de Estudios Moleculares Avanzados, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Roger Guevara
- Red de Biología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Wesley Dáttilo
- Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, Mexico
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6
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Merging theory and experiments to predict and understand coextinctions. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:886-898. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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7
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Manhães MA, de Lima WO, Palácio FB. Variation in bird taxonomic distinctness, but not body mass or niche overlap, explains the robustness of Neotropical seed dispersal networks. ANIM BIOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1163/15707563-bja10086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Frugivory and seed dispersal are fundamental ecological processes for the maintenance and conservation of tropical forest areas and ecosystem resilience. Here we investigated factors that could affect the relationship between frugivorous birds and fruit consumption, such as body mass, niche relationships, and species taxonomic groups, and the effects of such factors on the robustness of mutualistic bird-plant interaction networks. More specifically, we used Horn-Morisita niche overlap, the body mass coefficient of variation, and the variation in taxonomic distinctness index (varTD) as explanatory variables, and we applied multiple linear regression to test the that increased robustness in bird-plant frugivory networks occurs where birds have larger trophic niche overlaps and lower body mass variations and decreased robustness where they are more taxonomically diverse, in response to less functional redundancy. The analysis was based on literature data and fecal samples of birds collected after mist netting procedures. Bird body mass and niche overlap did not explain the variation in robustness in seed dispersal networks. However, different from expected, the results showed an effect of variations in taxonomic distinctness, suggesting that the larger the taxonomic distinctness of birds in a frugivore assemblage, the larger the robustness of the networks. Some hypotheses were suggested to explain this effect. Regardless of the factors that lead varTD to favor the robustness of mutualistic bird-plant networks, the results demonstrated that conserving diversity above the species level, and not just species limited to a few taxonomic groups, can be an important strategy for ecosystem conservation over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco A. Manhães
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Rua José Lourenço Kelmer, s/n – Campus Universitário, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, 36036-900, Brazil
| | - Wesley O. de Lima
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade e Conservação da Natureza, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Rua José Lourenço Kelmer, s/n – Campus Universitário, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, 36036-900, Brazil
| | - Fábio B. Palácio
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade e Conservação da Natureza, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Rua José Lourenço Kelmer, s/n – Campus Universitário, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, 36036-900, Brazil
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8
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Da Silva AM, Pires LP, De Melo C. Forest dependent birds are the main frugivorous species in mutualistic networks from the Brazilian Cerrado. ECOSCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2021.1987653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Luís Paulo Pires
- Instituto De Biologia, Universidade Federal De Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Celine De Melo
- Instituto De Biologia, Universidade Federal De Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
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9
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O'Connell DP, Fusi M, Djamaluddin R, Rajagukguk BB, Bachmid F, Kitson JJN, Dunnett Z, Trianto A, Tjoa AB, Diele K, Evans DM. Assessing mangrove restoration practices using species‐interaction networks. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Darren P. O'Connell
- School of Biology and Environmental Science University College Dublin Dublin D04 N2E5 Ireland
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 7RU UK
| | - Marco Fusi
- School of Applied Sciences Edinburgh Napier University Edinburg EH11 4BN U.K
| | - Rignolda Djamaluddin
- Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science Sam Ratulangi University Manado North Sulawesi 95115 Indonesia
| | - Bulfrit B. Rajagukguk
- Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science Sam Ratulangi University Manado North Sulawesi 95115 Indonesia
| | - Fihri Bachmid
- Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science Sam Ratulangi University Manado North Sulawesi 95115 Indonesia
| | - James J. N. Kitson
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 7RU UK
| | - Zoe Dunnett
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 7RU UK
| | - Agus Trianto
- Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Diponegoro University Semarang Central Java 50275 Indonesia
| | - Aiyen B. Tjoa
- Faculty of Agriculture Tadulako University Palu Central Sulawesi 94148 Indonesia
| | - Karen Diele
- School of Applied Sciences Edinburgh Napier University Edinburg EH11 4BN U.K
| | - Darren M. Evans
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 7RU UK
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10
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Addo‐Fordjour P, Marfo I, Ofosu‐Bamfo B. Forest fragmentation drives liana community structure but not the patterns of liana–tree interaction network in two forest ecosystems in Ghana. Ecol Res 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Addo‐Fordjour
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Faculty of Biosciences College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi Ghana
| | - Isaac Marfo
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Faculty of Biosciences College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi Ghana
| | - Bismark Ofosu‐Bamfo
- Department of Basic and Applied Biology, School of Sciences University of Energy and Natural Resources Sunyani Ghana
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11
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Hinton CR, Peters VE. Plant species with the trait of continuous flowering do not hold core roles in a Neotropical lowland plant-pollinating insect network. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:2346-2359. [PMID: 33717460 PMCID: PMC7920781 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant-animal interaction science repeatedly finds that plant species differ by orders of magnitude in the number of interactions they support. The identification of plant species that play key structural roles in plant-animal networks is a global conservation priority; however, in hyperdiverse systems such as tropical forests, empirical datasets are scarce. Plant species with longer reproductive seasons are posited to support more interactions compared to plant species with shorter reproductive seasons but this hypothesis has not been evaluated for plant species with the longest reproductive season possible at the individual plant level, the continuous reproductive phenology. Resource predictability is also associated with promoting specialization, and therefore, continuous reproduction may instead favor specialist interactions. Here, we use quantitative pollinating insect-plant networks constructed from countryside habitat of the Tropical Wet forest Life Zone and modularity analysis to test whether plant species that share the trait of continuous flowering hold core roles in mutualistic networks. With a few exceptions, most plant species sampled within our network were assigned to the role of peripheral. All but one network had significantly high modularity scores and each continuous flowering plant species was in a different module. Our work reveals that the continuous flowering plant species differed in some networks in their topological role, and that more evidence was found for the phenology to support specialized subsets of interactions. Our findings suggest that the conservation of Neotropical pollinating insect communities may require planting species from each module rather than identifying and conserving network hubs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea R. Hinton
- Department of Biological SciencesEastern Kentucky UniversityRichmondKYUSA
| | - Valerie E. Peters
- Department of Biological SciencesEastern Kentucky UniversityRichmondKYUSA
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12
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Addo‐Fordjour P, Afram IS. Clearcutting and selective logging have inconsistent effects on liana diversity and abundance but not on liana–tree interaction networks. Biotropica 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Addo‐Fordjour
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology College of Science Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi Ghana
| | - Isaac Sarfo Afram
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology College of Science Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi Ghana
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13
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Acevedo-Quintero JF, Saldaña-Vázquez RA, Mendoza E, Zamora-Abrego JG. Sampling bias affects the relationship between structural importance and species body mass in frugivore-plant interaction networks. ECOLOGICAL COMPLEXITY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecocom.2020.100870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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14
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Salazar‐Rivera GI, Dáttilo W, Castillo‐Campos G, Flores‐Estévez N, Ramírez García B, Ruelas Inzunza E. The frugivory network properties of a simplified ecosystem: Birds and plants in a Neotropical periurban park. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:8579-8591. [PMID: 32884642 PMCID: PMC7452784 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Frugivory networks exhibit a set of properties characterized by a number of network theory-derived metrics. Their structures often form deterministic patterns that can be explained by the functional roles of interacting species. Although we know lots about how these networks are organized when ecosystems are in a complete, functional condition, we know much less about how incomplete and simplified networks (such as those found in urban and periurban parks) are organized, which features are maintained, which ones are not, and why. In this paper, we examine the properties of a network between frugivorous birds and plants in a small Neotropical periurban park. We found a frugivory network composed of 29 species of birds and 23 of plants. The main roles in this network are played by four species of generalist birds (three resident, one migratory: Myiozetetes similis, Turdus grayi, Chlorospingus flavopectus, and Dumetella carolinensis) and three species of plants (one exotic, two early successional: Phoenix canariensis, Phoradendron sp., and Witheringia stramoniifolia). When compared to reference data from other locations in the Neotropics, species richness is low, one important network-level metric is maintained (modularity) whereas another one is not (nestedness). Nestedness, a metric associated with network specialists, is a feature this network lacks. Species-level metrics such as degree, species strength, and module roles, are not maintained. Our work supports modularity as the most pervasive network-level metric of altered habitats. From a successional point of view, our results suggest that properties revealed by species-level indices may be developed at a later time, lagging the acquisition of structural elements.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wesley Dáttilo
- Red de EcoetologíaInstituto de Ecología A.C.XalapaMexico
| | | | - Norma Flores‐Estévez
- Instituto de Biotecnología y Ecología AplicadaUniversidad VeracruzanaXalapaMexico
| | - Brenda Ramírez García
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y SustentabilidadUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoMoreliaMexico
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15
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Carreira DC, Dáttilo W, Bruno DL, Percequillo AR, Ferraz KMPMB, Galetti M. Small vertebrates are key elements in the frugivory networks of a hyperdiverse tropical forest. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10594. [PMID: 32601315 PMCID: PMC7324603 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67326-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The local, global or functional extinction of species or populations of animals, known as defaunation, can erode important ecological services in tropical forests. Many mutualistic interactions, such as seed dispersal of large seeded plants, can be lost in large continuous forests due to the rarity of large-bodied mammalian frugivores. Most of studies that try to elucidate the effects of defaunation on seed dispersal focused on primates or birds, and we lack a detailed understanding on the interactions between ground-dwelling fauna and fleshy fruits. Using camera traps in forest areas with different degrees of defaunation, we described the organization of frugivory networks involving birds, mammals and plants. We recorded 375 frugivory interactions between 21 frugivores and 150 fruiting trees of 30 species of fleshy fruit plants in six sites in continuous Atlantic forest of Brazil. We found that small frugivores-particularly small rodents and birds-were responsible for 72% of the events of frugivory. Large frugivores, such as tapirs and peccaries, were responsible for less than 21% of frugivory events. Our results indicate that the interactions between flesh fruiting plants and frugivores are dominated by small frugivores, an indication of a functional loss of large frugivores in this endangered biome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daiane C Carreira
- Programa Interunidades de Pós Graduação em Ecologia Aplicada, Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz"- Universidade de São Paulo (ESALQ-USP), Piracicaba, São Paulo, CP 13418-900, Brazil.
- Fundação Hermínio Ometto - FHO|Uniararas, Araras, São Paulo, CP 13607-339, Brazil.
| | - Wesley Dáttilo
- Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología A.C., CP 91070, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Dáfini L Bruno
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia e Recursos Naturais - Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, São Paulo, CP 13565-905, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Reis Percequillo
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz" - Universidade de São Paulo (ESALQ-USP), Piracicaba, São Paulo, CP 13418-900, Brazil
| | - Katia M P M B Ferraz
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz" - Universidade de São Paulo (ESALQ-USP), Piracicaba, São Paulo, CP 13418-900, Brazil
| | - Mauro Galetti
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, CP 33146, USA
- Departamento de Biodiversidade, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rio Claro, São Paulo, CP 13506-900, Brazil
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16
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Sheykhali S, Fernández-Gracia J, Traveset A, Ziegler M, Voolstra CR, Duarte CM, Eguíluz VM. Robustness to extinction and plasticity derived from mutualistic bipartite ecological networks. Sci Rep 2020; 10:9783. [PMID: 32555279 PMCID: PMC7300072 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66131-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the response of ecological networks to perturbations and disruptive events is needed to anticipate the biodiversity loss and extinction cascades. Here, we study how network plasticity reshapes the topology of mutualistic networks in response to species loss. We analyze more than one hundred empirical mutualistic networks and considered random and targeted removal as mechanisms of species extinction. Network plasticity is modeled as either random rewiring, as the most parsimonious approach, or resource affinity-driven rewiring, as a proxy for encoding the phylogenetic similarity and functional redundancy among species. This redundancy should be positively correlated with the robustness of an ecosystem, as functions can be taken by other species once one of them is extinct. We show that effective modularity, i.e. the ability of an ecosystem to adapt or restructure, increases with increasing numbers of extinctions, and with decreasing the replacement probability. Importantly, modularity is mostly affected by the extinction rather than by rewiring mechanisms. These changes in community structure are reflected in the robustness and stability due to their positive correlation with modularity. Resource affinity-driven rewiring offers an increase of modularity, robustness, and stability which could be an evolutionary favored mechanism to prevent a cascade of co-extinctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Somaye Sheykhali
- Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos IFISC (CSIC-UIB), Palma de Mallorca, E-07122, Spain
| | - Juan Fernández-Gracia
- Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos IFISC (CSIC-UIB), Palma de Mallorca, E-07122, Spain.
| | - Anna Traveset
- Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), E07121, Esporles, Spain
| | - Maren Ziegler
- Department of Animal Ecology & Systematics, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32 IFZ, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | | | - Carlos M Duarte
- Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Víctor M Eguíluz
- Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos IFISC (CSIC-UIB), Palma de Mallorca, E-07122, Spain
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17
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Buitrón-Jurado G, Sanz V. Specialization increases in a frugivorous bird–plant network from an isolated montane forest remnant. COMMUNITY ECOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s42974-020-00010-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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18
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Ramos-Robles M, Vargas-Cardoso OR, Corona-López AM, Flores-Palacios A, Toledo-Hernández VH. Spatio-temporal variation of Cerambycidae-host tree interaction networks. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228880. [PMID: 32040535 PMCID: PMC7010308 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite its high ecological importance, the commensal interactions at community level are poorly studied. In tropical dry forests (TDF) there is a great diversity of species adapted to the high seasonality that characterizes them; however, little is known regarding how the spatial and temporal availability of resources generates changes in the pattern of commensal interactions. We experimentally studied changes in the diversity, composition, and pattern of interactions in spatio-temporal associations between the saproxylophagous beetles and their host trees in a TDF in Morelos, Mexico. A total of 65 host tree species were selected, from which 16 wood sections were obtained per species. These sections were exposed in the field to allow oviposition by the cerambycids under four different (spatio-temporal) treatments. We analyzed the network structure and generated indices at species level (i.e., specialization, species strength, and effective partners) and those related to physical characteristics of the wood (hardness and degradation rate) and the cerambycids (body size). In total, 1,323 individuals of 57 species of cerambycids emerged. Our results showed that, independently of the space and time, the network presented a nested and modular structure, with a high specialization degree and a high turnover of cerambycid species and their interactions. In general, we found that the cerambycids are mostly associated with softwood species with a lower decomposition rate of wood, as well as with the most abundant host species. The commensalistic interactions between the cerambycids and their host trees are highly specialized but are not spatio-temporally static. The high turnover in the interactions is caused by the emergence patterns of cerambycids, which seem to restrict their use to certain species. The knowledge of the spatio-temporal variation in Cerambycidae-host tree interactions allows us to predict how environmental and structural changes in the habitat can modify the species ensemble, and therefore its interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Ramos-Robles
- Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación, Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
| | - Orthon Ricardo Vargas-Cardoso
- Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación, Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
| | - Angélica María Corona-López
- Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación, Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
| | - Alejandro Flores-Palacios
- Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación, Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
| | - Víctor Hugo Toledo-Hernández
- Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación, Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
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Cordeiro J, de Oliveira JHF, Schmitz HJ, Vizentin‐Bugoni J. High niche partitioning promotes highly specialized, modular and non‐nested florivore–plant networks across spatial scales and reveals drivers of specialization. OIKOS 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.06866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Cordeiro
- Depto de Ecologia, Zoologia e Genética, Univ. Federal de Pelotas, Campus Universitário Capão do Leão Av. Eliseu Maciel, s/n. CEP 96160‐000 Capão do Leão RS Brazil
| | - João H. F. de Oliveira
- Depto de Ecologia, Zoologia e Genética, Univ. Federal de Pelotas, Campus Universitário Capão do Leão Av. Eliseu Maciel, s/n. CEP 96160‐000 Capão do Leão RS Brazil
| | - Hermes J. Schmitz
- Inst. Latino‐Americano de Ciências da Vida e da Natureza, Univ. Federal da Integração Latino‐Americana Paraná Brazil
| | - Jeferson Vizentin‐Bugoni
- Dept of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana Champaign IL USA
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20
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Martínez-Gonzalez I, Ruiz-Guerra B, Velázquez-Rosas N. Elevational relationship between functional leaf traits and insect herbivory in two cloud forest understory species in Mexico. ECOSCIENCE 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2019.1645566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Betsabé Ruiz-Guerra
- Red de Interacciones Multitróficas, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, México
| | - Noé Velázquez-Rosas
- Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, México
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Fruit traits and temporal abundance shape plant-frugivore interaction networks in a seasonal tropical forest. Naturwissenschaften 2018; 105:29. [PMID: 29610984 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-018-1556-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Revised: 03/17/2018] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Interactions between fleshy fruited plants and frugivores are crucial for the structuring and functioning of biotic communities, particularly in tropical forests where both groups are diverse and play different roles in network organization. However, it remains poorly understood how different groups of frugivore species and fruit traits contribute to network structure. We recorded interactions among 28 plant species and three groups of frugivores (birds, bats, and non-flying mammals) in a seasonal forest in Mexico to determine which species contribute more to network structure and evaluate the importance of each species. We also determined whether fruit abundance, water content, morphology traits, and fruiting phenology are related to network parameters: the number of interactions, species contribution to nestedness, and species strength. We found that plants did not depend on a single group of frugivores, but rather on one species of each group: the bird Pitangus sulphuratus, the bat Sturnira parvidens, and the non-flying mammal Procyon lotor. The abundance, size, and water content of the fruits were significantly related to the contribution to nestedness, number of interactions, and species strength index of plant species. Tree species and birds contributed mainly to the nested structure of the network. We show that the structure of plant-frugivore networks in this seasonal forest is non-random and that fruit traits (i.e., abundance, phenology, size, and water content) are important factors shaping plant-frugivore networks. Identification of the key species and their traits that maintain the complex structure of species interactions is therefore fundamental for the integral conservation of tropical forests.
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