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Heuel KC, Haßlberger TA, Ayasse M, Burger H. Floral Trait Preferences of Three Common wild Bee Species. INSECTS 2024; 15:427. [PMID: 38921142 PMCID: PMC11203783 DOI: 10.3390/insects15060427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
The interaction between bees and flowering plants is mediated by floral cues that enable bees to find foraging plants. We tested floral cue preferences among three common wild bee species: Lasioglossum villosulum, Osmia bicornis, and Bombus terrestris. Preferences are well studied in eusocial bees but almost unknown in solitary or non-eusocial generalist bee species. Using standardized artificial flowers altered in single cues, we tested preferences for color hue, achromatic contrast, scent complexity, corolla size, and flower depth. We found common attractive cues among all tested bees. Intensively colored flowers and large floral displays were highly attractive. No preferences were observed in scent complexity experiments, and the number of volatiles did not influence the behavior of bees. Differing preferences were found for color hue. The specific behaviors were probably influenced by foraging experience and depended on the flower choice preferences of the tested bee species. In experiments testing different flower depths of reward presentation, the bees chose flat flowers that afforded low energy costs. The results reveal that generalist wild bee species other than well-studied honeybees and bumblebees show strong preferences for distinct floral cues to find potential host plants. The diverse preferences of wild bees ensure the pollination of various flowering plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim C. Heuel
- Institute for Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, 89077 Ulm, Germany (M.A.); (H.B.)
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2
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Glenny WR, Runyon JB, Burkle LA. Bumble bee diet breadth increases with local abundance and phenophase duration, not intraspecific variation in body size. Oecologia 2024; 205:149-162. [PMID: 38796612 PMCID: PMC11144151 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05560-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
Patterns of abundance across space and time, and intraspecific variation in body size, are two species attributes known to influence diet breadth and the structure of interaction networks. Yet, the relative influence of these attributes on diet breadth is often assumed to be equal among taxonomic groups, and the relationship between intraspecific variation in body size on interaction patterns is frequently neglected. We observed bee-flower interactions in multiple locations across Montana, USA, for two growing seasons and measured spatial and temporal patterns of abundance, along with interspecific and intraspecific variation in body size for prevalent species. We predicted that the association between spatial and temporal patterns of abundance and intraspecific variation in body size, and diet breadth, would be stronger for bumble bee compared to non-bumble bee species, because species with flexible diets and long activity periods can interact with more food items. Bumble bees had higher local abundance, occurred in many local communities, more intraspecific variation in body size, and longer phenophases compared to non-bumble bee species, but only local abundance and phenophase duration had a stronger positive association with the diet breadth of bumble bee compared to non-bumble bee species. Communities with a higher proportion of bumble bees also had higher intraspecific variation in body size at the network-level, and network-level intraspecific variation in body size was positively correlated with diet generalization. Our findings highlight that the association between species attributes and diet breadth changes depending on the taxonomic group, with implications for the structure of interaction networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Will R Glenny
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
| | - Justin B Runyon
- US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Laura A Burkle
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
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3
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Peralta G, CaraDonna PJ, Rakosy D, Fründ J, Pascual Tudanca MP, Dormann CF, Burkle LA, Kaiser-Bunbury CN, Knight TM, Resasco J, Winfree R, Blüthgen N, Castillo WJ, Vázquez DP. Predicting plant-pollinator interactions: concepts, methods, and challenges. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:494-505. [PMID: 38262775 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.12.005] [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: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Plant-pollinator interactions are ecologically and economically important, and, as a result, their prediction is a crucial theoretical and applied goal for ecologists. Although various analytical methods are available, we still have a limited ability to predict plant-pollinator interactions. The predictive ability of different plant-pollinator interaction models depends on the specific definitions used to conceptualize and quantify species attributes (e.g., morphological traits), sampling effects (e.g., detection probabilities), and data resolution and availability. Progress in the study of plant-pollinator interactions requires conceptual and methodological advances concerning the mechanisms and species attributes governing interactions as well as improved modeling approaches to predict interactions. Current methods to predict plant-pollinator interactions present ample opportunities for improvement and spark new horizons for basic and applied research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guadalupe Peralta
- Multidisciplinary Institute of Plant Biology, National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET)-National University of Córdoba, Córdoba, X5016GCN, Argentina.
| | - Paul J CaraDonna
- Chicago Botanic Garden, Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action, Glencoe, IL 60022, USA; Plant Biology and Conservation, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
| | - Demetra Rakosy
- Department for Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig 04318, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Jochen Fründ
- Biometry and Environmental System Analysis, University of Freiburg, Freiburg 79098, Germany; Animal Network Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg 20148, Germany
| | - María P Pascual Tudanca
- Argentine Institute for Dryland Research, National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET)-National University of Cuyo, Mendoza 5500, Argentina
| | - Carsten F Dormann
- Biometry and Environmental System Analysis, University of Freiburg, Freiburg 79098, Germany
| | - Laura A Burkle
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Christopher N Kaiser-Bunbury
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Tiffany M Knight
- Department for Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig 04318, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany; Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) 06108, Germany
| | - Julian Resasco
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Rachael Winfree
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Nico Blüthgen
- Ecological Networks Lab, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt 64287, Germany
| | - William J Castillo
- Biometry and Environmental System Analysis, University of Freiburg, Freiburg 79098, Germany
| | - Diego P Vázquez
- Argentine Institute for Dryland Research, National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET)-National University of Cuyo, Mendoza 5500, Argentina; Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, National University of Cuyo, Mendoza M5502, Argentina.
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4
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Cantwell-Jones A, Tylianakis JM, Larson K, Gill RJ. Using individual-based trait frequency distributions to forecast plant-pollinator network responses to environmental change. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14368. [PMID: 38247047 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Determining how and why organisms interact is fundamental to understanding ecosystem responses to future environmental change. To assess the impact on plant-pollinator interactions, recent studies have examined how the effects of environmental change on individual interactions accumulate to generate species-level responses. Here, we review recent developments in using plant-pollinator networks of interacting individuals along with their functional traits, where individuals are nested within species nodes. We highlight how these individual-level, trait-based networks connect intraspecific trait variation (as frequency distributions of multiple traits) with dynamic responses within plant-pollinator communities. This approach can better explain interaction plasticity, and changes to interaction probabilities and network structure over spatiotemporal or other environmental gradients. We argue that only through appreciating such trait-based interaction plasticity can we accurately forecast the potential vulnerability of interactions to future environmental change. We follow this with general guidance on how future studies can collect and analyse high-resolution interaction and trait data, with the hope of improving predictions of future plant-pollinator network responses for targeted and effective conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aoife Cantwell-Jones
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Jason M Tylianakis
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Bioprotection Aotearoa, School of Biological Sciences, Private Bag 4800, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Keith Larson
- Climate Impacts Research Centre, Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Richard J Gill
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
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5
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Tarbill GL, White AM, Sollmann R. Response of pollinator taxa to fire is consistent with historic fire regimes in the Sierra Nevada and mediated through floral richness †. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10761. [PMID: 38107425 PMCID: PMC10721959 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10761] [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: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Many fire-prone forests are experiencing wildfires that burn outside the historical range of variation in extent and severity. These fires impact pollinators and the ecosystem services they provide, but how the effects of fire are mediated by burn severity in different habitats is not well understood. We used generalized linear mixed models in a Bayesian framework to model the abundance of pollinators as a function of burn severity, habitat, and floral resources in post-fire, mid-elevation, conifer forest, and meadow in the Sierra Nevada, California. Although most species-level effects were not significant, we found highly consistent negative impacts of burn severity in meadows where pollinators were most abundant, with only hummingbirds and some butterfly families responding positively to burn severity in meadows. Moderate-severity fire tended to increase the abundance of most pollinator taxa in upland forest habitat, indicating that even in large fires that burn primarily at high- and moderate-severity patches may be associated with improved habitat conditions for pollinator species in upland forest. Nearly all pollinator taxa responded positively to floral richness but not necessarily to floral abundance. Given that much of the Sierra Nevada is predicted to burn at high severity, limiting high-severity effects in meadow and upland habitats may help conserve pollinator communities whereas low- to moderate-severity fire may be needed in both systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina L. Tarbill
- Pacific Southwest Research StationUSDA, Forest ServiceDavisCaliforniaUSA
- Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation BiologyUniversity of California, DavisDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | - Angela M. White
- Pacific Southwest Research StationUSDA, Forest ServiceDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | - Rahel Sollmann
- Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation BiologyUniversity of California, DavisDavisCaliforniaUSA
- Department of Ecological DynamicsLeibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife ResearchBerlinGermany
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Zhao J, Li Y, Wang X, Li M, Yu W, Chen J, Zhang L. Parasite-host network analysis provides insights into the evolution of two mistletoe lineages (Loranthaceae and Santalaceae). PLANT DIVERSITY 2023; 45:702-711. [PMID: 38197012 PMCID: PMC10772182 DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2023.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Mistletoes are ecologically important parasitic plants, with > 1600 species from five lineages worldwide. Mistletoe lineages exhibit distinct patterns of species diversification and host specificity, however, the mechanisms underlying these differences are poorly understood. In this study, we analysed a comprehensive parasite-host network, including 280 host species from 60 families and 22 mistletoe species from two lineages (Santalaceae and Loranthaceae) in Xishuangbanna, located in a biodiversity hotspot of tropical Asia. We identified the factors that predict the infection strength of mistletoes. We also detected host specificity and the phylogenetic signal of mistletoes and their hosts. We found that this interaction network could be largely explained by a model based on the relative abundance of species. Host infection was positively correlated with diameter at breast height and tree coverage, but negatively correlated with wood density. Overall, closely related mistletoe species tend to interact more often with similar hosts. However, the two lineages showed a significantly different network pattern. Rates of host generality were higher in Loranthaceae than in Santalaceae, although neither lineage showed phylogenetic signal for host generality. This study demonstrates that the neutral interaction hypothesis provides suitable predictions of the mistletoe-host interaction network, and mistletoe species show significant phylogenetic signals for their hosts. Our findings also indicate that high species diversification in Loranthaceae may be explained by high rates of host generality and the evolutionary history shared by Loranthaceae species with diverse host plants in the tropics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, Yunnan, China
- Engineering Research Center of Eco-environment in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, Hubei, China
| | - Yuanjie Li
- Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xuanni Wang
- Linnaeus Labs Technology Co., Ltd, Wuyuan 333200, Jiangxi, China
| | - Manru Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, Yunnan, China
- Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wenbin Yu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, Yunnan, China
| | - Jin Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, Yunnan, China
| | - Ling Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, Yunnan, China
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ZANINOTTO V, FAUVIAU A, DAJOZ I. Diversity of greenspace design and management impacts pollinator communities in a densely urbanized landscape: the city of Paris, France. Urban Ecosyst 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-023-01351-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/01/2023]
Abstract
AbstractThe response of insect pollinator communities to increasing urbanization is shaped by landscape and local factors. But what about habitats that are already highly artificial? We investigated the drivers of pollinator diversity in a dense urban matrix, the city of Paris. We monitored insect pollinator communities monthly (March-October) for two consecutive years in 12 green spaces that differed in their management practices, focusing on four insect orders (Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera). Pollinator abundance and species richness were both positively tied to green space size and flowering plant species richness, but negatively linked to surrounding impervious surfaces. In addition, environmental features at both the local and landscape scales influenced the composition and functional diversity of wild bee communities. Indeed, small and large bees responded differently, with the occurrence of large-bodied species being impaired by the proportion of impervious surfaces but strongly enhanced by plant species richness. Also, sites with a majority of spontaneous plant species had more functionally diverse bee communities, with oligolectic species more likely to be found.These results, consistent with the literature, can guide the design and management practices of urban green spaces to promote pollinator diversity and pollination function, even in dense urban environments.
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Keasar T, Pourtallier O, Wajnberg E. Can sociality facilitate learning of complex tasks? Lessons from bees and flowers. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210402. [PMID: 36688396 PMCID: PMC9869446 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence of animal societies is a major evolutionary transition, but its implications for learning-dependent innovations are insufficiently understood. Bees, with lifestyles ranging from solitary to eusocial, are ideal models for exploring social evolution. Here, we ask how and why bees may acquire a new 'technology', foraging on morphologically complex flowers, and whether eusociality facilitates this technological shift. We consider 'complex' flowers that produce high food rewards but are difficult to access, versus 'simple' flowers offering easily accessible yet lower rewards. Complex flowers are less profitable than simple flowers to naive bees but become more rewarding after a learning period. We model how social bees optimally choose between simple and complex flowers over time, to maximize their colony's food balance. The model predicts no effect of colony size on the bees' flower choices. More foraging on complex flowers is predicted as colony longevity, its proportion of foragers, individual longevity and learning ability increase. Of these traits, only long-lived colonies and abundant foragers characterize eusocial bees. Thus, we predict that eusociality supports, but is not mandatory for, learning to exploit complex flowers. A re-analysis of a large published dataset of bee-flower interactions supports these conclusions. We discuss parallels between the evolution of insect sociality and other major transitions that provide scaffolds for learning innovations. This article is part of the theme issue 'Human socio-cultural evolution in light of evolutionary transitions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamar Keasar
- Biology and Environment, University of Haifa, Oranim, Tivon 36006, Israel
| | | | - Eric Wajnberg
- INRIA, Projet Hephaistos, 06902 Sophia Antipolis, France,Inrae, 400 Route des Chappes, BP 167 06903 Sophia Antipolis Cedex, France
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Xiang G, Jiang Y, Lan J, Huang L, Hao L, Liu Z, Xia J. Different influences of phylogenetically conserved and independent floral traits on plant functional specialization and pollination network structure. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1084995. [PMID: 36760631 PMCID: PMC9902514 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1084995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Plant specialization and pollination network structure play important roles in community assembly. Floral traits can mediate plant-pollinator interactions and thus have important impacts on nestedness and modularity of pollination network. When such traits are phylogenetically conserved, therefore, phylogeny and traits should predict network structure to similar degrees. Moreover, conserved network structures were also found attributed to pollination syndrome or pollination system. However, we still know little about the relation between pollination syndrome and pollination network, especially under a phylogenetic framework. Herein, we established a phylogenetic framework including five floral traits (flower density, floral size, floral shape, floral symmetry, and floral color) and five species-level metrics (species strength, weighted closeness, specialization d', nestedness contribution, and modularity contribution) to test how floral traits could directly or indirectly influence species' specialization and network structure in central China. Phylogenetic signals were found in all floral traits except flower density. Structural equation model and phylogenetic structural equation model results showed that both floral size and floral density affected plant specialization and its contribution to network modularity indirectly. However, compared with phylogenetic independent flower density, phylogenetic conserved floral size had much more complexed influences, having a direct influence both on species' specialization and on modularity contribution. In this nested and modular network, abundant species with larger flowers tend to be more central and had larger values of z. Floral shape, symmetry, and color could act as co-flowering filters in pollination sharing and help to shape network modularity. Our results emphasize that phylogenetically conserved traits partially represent pollination syndrome and are important drivers for modular structure of local pollination network. This study may improve the understanding how the evolutionary history and ecological process drive local network structure and dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ganju Xiang
- Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plant Germplasm in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Green Transformation of Bio-Resources, Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yunyi Jiang
- Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plant Germplasm in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Jinmao Lan
- Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plant Germplasm in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Liuying Huang
- Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plant Germplasm in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Lijun Hao
- Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plant Germplasm in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Zhiqian Liu
- Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plant Germplasm in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Jing Xia
- Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plant Germplasm in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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Predicting cascading extinctions and efficient restoration strategies in plant-pollinator networks via generalized positive feedback loops. Sci Rep 2023; 13:902. [PMID: 36650198 PMCID: PMC9845316 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27525-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The extinction of a species in a plant-pollinator mutualistic community can cause cascading effects and lead to major biodiversity loss. The ecologically important task of predicting the severity of the cascading effects is made challenging by the complex network of interactions among the species. In this work, we analyze an ensemble of models of communities of plant and pollinator species. These models describe the mutualistic inter-species interactions by Boolean threshold functions. We show that identifying generalized positive feedback loops can help pinpoint the species whose extinction leads to catastrophic and substantial damage to the whole community. We compare these results with the damage percentage caused by the loss of species identified as important by previously studied structural measures and show that positive feedback loops and the information gained from them can identify certain crucial species that the other measures fail to find. We also suggest mitigation measures for two specific purposes: (1) prevent the damage to the community by protecting a subset of the species, and (2) restore the community after the damage by restoring a subset of species. Our analyses indicate that the generalized positive feedback loops predict the most efficient strategies to achieve these purposes. The correct identification of species in each category has important implications for conservation efforts and developing community management strategies.
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Burkle LA, Zabinski CA. Mycorrhizae influence plant vegetative and floral traits and intraspecific trait variation. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2023; 110:e16099. [PMID: 36371729 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can strongly influence host plant vegetative growth, but less is known about AMF effects on other plant traits, the relative impacts of AMF on vegetative growth versus floral traits, or AMF-induced intraspecific variation in traits. METHODS In an experimental greenhouse study, we inoculated seven species of wildflowers with six species of AMF in a factorial design. We assessed how the AMF-forb combinations influenced plant survival, vegetative biomass, and floral traits and whether AMF effects on floral traits were similar in magnitude and direction to effects on vegetative biomass. For one forb species, we investigated intraspecific plant trait variation within and across AMF treatments. RESULTS AMF species varied from negative to positive in their effects on host plants. AMF often had inconsistent effects on vegetative biomass versus floral traits, and therefore, quantifying one or the other may provide a misleading representation of potential AMF effects. AMF treatments generated key variation in plant traits, especially floral traits, with potential consequences for plant-pollinator interactions. Given increased intraspecific trait variation in Linum lewisii plants across AMF species compared to uninoculated individuals or single AMF treatments, local AMF diversity and their host plant associations may scale up to influence community-wide patterns of trait variation and species interactions. CONCLUSIONS These results have implications for predicting how aboveground communities are affected by belowground communities. Including AMF effects on not just host plant biomass but also functional traits and trait variation will deepen our understanding of community structure and function, including pollination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A Burkle
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
| | - Catherine A Zabinski
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
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12
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The role of evolutionary modes for trait-based cascades in mutualistic networks. Ecol Modell 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2022.109983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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13
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Lim G, Burns K. Avian translocations restore dual interaction networks in an island ecosystem. Restor Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ganges Lim
- School of Biological Sciences, Te Toki a Rata Building University of Wellington, PO Box 600 Wellington New Zealand 6015
| | - K.C. Burns
- School of Biological Sciences, Te Toki a Rata Building University of Wellington, PO Box 600 Wellington New Zealand 6015
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14
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Campbell C, Russo L, Albert R, Buckling A, Shea K. Whole community invasions and the integration of novel ecosystems. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010151. [PMID: 35671270 PMCID: PMC9173635 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The impact of invasion by a single non-native species on the function and structure of ecological communities can be significant, and the effects can become more drastic–and harder to predict–when multiple species invade as a group. Here we modify a dynamic Boolean model of plant-pollinator community assembly to consider the invasion of native communities by multiple invasive species that are selected either randomly or such that the invaders constitute a stable community. We show that, compared to random invasion, whole community invasion leads to final stable communities (where the initial process of species turnover has given way to a static or near-static set of species in the community) including both native and non-native species that are larger, more likely to retain native species, and which experience smaller changes to the topological measures of nestedness and connectance. We consider the relationship between the prevalence of mutualistic interactions among native and invasive species in the final stable communities and demonstrate that mutualistic interactions may act as a buffer against significant disruptions to the native community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin Campbell
- Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Physics, University of Mount Union, Alliance, Ohio, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Laura Russo
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Réka Albert
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Angus Buckling
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom
| | - Katriona Shea
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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15
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Becker L, Blüthgen N, Drossel B. Stochasticity Leads to Coexistence of Generalists and Specialists in Assembling Mutualistic Communities. Am Nat 2022; 200:303-315. [DOI: 10.1086/720421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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16
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Fatemi Nasrollahi FS, Gómez Tejeda Zañudo J, Campbell C, Albert R. Relationships among generalized positive feedback loops determine possible community outcomes in plant-pollinator interaction networks. Phys Rev E 2021; 104:054304. [PMID: 34942827 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.104.054304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Attractors in Boolean network models representing complex systems such as ecological communities correspond to long-term outcomes (e.g., stable communities) in such systems. As a result, identifying efficient methods to find and characterize these attractors allows for a better understanding of the diversity of possible outcomes. Here we analyze networks that model mutualistic communities of plant and pollinator species governed by Boolean threshold functions. We propose a novel attractor identification method based on generalized positive feedback loops and their functional relationships in such networks. We show that these relationships determine the mechanisms by which groups of stable positive feedback loops collectively trap the system in specific regions of the state space and lead to attractors. Put into the ecological context, we show how survival units-small groups of species in which species can maintain a specific survival state-and their relationships determine the final community outcomes in plant-pollinator networks. We find a remarkable diversity of community outcomes: up to an average of 43 attractors possible for networks with 100 species. This diversity is due to the multiplicity of survival units (up to 34) and stable subcommunities (up to 14). The timing of species influx or outflux does not affect the number of attractors, but it may influence their basins of attraction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Réka Albert
- Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA.,Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16801, USA
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17
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Plant traits and landscape simplification drive intraspecific trait diversity of Bombus terrestris in wildflower plantings. Basic Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2021.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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18
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Motivans Švara E, Ştefan V, Sossai E, Feldmann R, Aguilon DJ, Bontsutsnaja A, E‐Vojtkó A, Kilian IC, Lang P, Mõtlep M, Prangel E, Viljur M, Knight TM, Neuenkamp L. Effects of different types of low-intensity management on plant-pollinator interactions in Estonian grasslands. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:16909-16926. [PMID: 34938481 PMCID: PMC8668793 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
In the face of global pollinator decline, extensively managed grasslands play an important role in supporting stable pollinator communities. However, different types of extensive management may promote particular plant species and thus particular functional traits. As the functional traits of flowering plant species (e.g., flower size and shape) in a habitat help determine the identity and frequency of pollinator visitors, they can also influence the structures of plant-pollinator interaction networks (i.e., pollination networks). The aim of this study was to examine how the type of low-intensity traditional management influences plant and pollinator composition, the structure of plant-pollinator interactions, and their mediation by floral and insect functional traits. Specifically, we compared mown wooded meadows to grazed alvar pastures in western Estonia. We found that both management types fostered equal diversity of plants and pollinators, and overlapping, though still distinct, plant and pollinator compositions. Wooded meadow pollination networks had significantly higher connectance and specialization, while alvar pasture networks achieved higher interaction diversity at a standardized sampling of interactions. Pollinators with small body sizes and short proboscis lengths were more specialized in their preference for particular plant species and the specialization of individual pollinators was higher in alvar pastures than in wooded meadows. All in all, the two management types promoted diverse plant and pollinator communities, which enabled the development of equally even and nested pollination networks. The same generalist plant and pollinator species were important for the pollination networks of both wooded meadows and alvar pastures; however, they were complemented by management-specific species, which accounted for differences in network structure. Therefore, the implementation of both management types in the same landscape helps to maintain high species and interaction diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Motivans Švara
- Department of Community EcologyHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZHalle (Saale)Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of BiologyMartin Luther University Halle‐WittenbergHalle (Saale)Germany
| | - Valentin Ştefan
- Department of Community EcologyHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZHalle (Saale)Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
| | - Esther Sossai
- Department of Community EcologyHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZHalle (Saale)Germany
| | - Reinart Feldmann
- Department of Community EcologyHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZHalle (Saale)Germany
| | - Dianne Joy Aguilon
- Doctoral School of Environmental SciencesUniversity of SzegedSzegedHungary
- Department of Forest Biological SciencesCollege of Forestry and Natural ResourcesUniversity of the Philippines Los BañosLagunaPhilippines
- Department of EcologyUniversity of SzegedSzegedHungary
| | - Anna Bontsutsnaja
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental SciencesEstonian University of Life SciencesTartuEstonia
| | - Anna E‐Vojtkó
- Department of BotanyFaculty of ScienceUniversity of South BohemiaČeské BudějoviceCzech Republic
- Institute of BotanyCzech Academy of SciencesTřeboňCzech Republic
| | - Isabel C. Kilian
- Zoological Research Museum Alexander KoenigLeibniz Institute for Animal BiodiversityBonnGermany
- Agroecology and Organic Farming Group (INRES‐AOL)University of BonnBonnGermany
| | - Piret Lang
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental SciencesEstonian University of Life SciencesTartuEstonia
| | - Marilin Mõtlep
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental SciencesEstonian University of Life SciencesTartuEstonia
| | - Elisabeth Prangel
- Department of BotanyInstitute of Ecology and Earth SciencesUniversity of TartuTartuEstonia
| | - Mari‐Liis Viljur
- Department of ZoologyInstitute of Ecology and Earth SciencesUniversity of TartuTartuEstonia
| | - Tiffany M. Knight
- Department of Community EcologyHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZHalle (Saale)Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of BiologyMartin Luther University Halle‐WittenbergHalle (Saale)Germany
| | - Lena Neuenkamp
- Department of BotanyInstitute of Ecology and Earth SciencesUniversity of TartuTartuEstonia
- Institute of Plant SciencesUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
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19
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Souza JMT, Vázquez DP, Varassin IG. Abundance and phenology drive plant–pollinator network responses to restoration in the Southern Atlantic rainforest in Brazil. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jana M. T. Souza
- Departamento Acadêmico de Química e Biologia Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná Rua Deputado Heitor de Alencar Furtado, 5000, CEP 81280‐340, Curitiba, Paraná Brazil
| | - Diego P. Vázquez
- Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas CONICET and Universidad Nacional de Cuyo CC 507, 5500 Mendoza Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Universidad Nacional de Cuyo Mendoza Argentina
| | - Isabela G. Varassin
- Laboratório de Interações e Biologia Reprodutiva Universidade Federal do Paraná CEP 81531‐980, Curitiba, Paraná Brazil
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20
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Zhao YH, Lázaro A, Li HD, Tao ZB, Liang H, Zhou W, Ren ZX, Xu K, Li DZ, Wang H. Morphological trait-matching in plant-Hymenoptera and plant-Diptera mutualisms across an elevational gradient. J Anim Ecol 2021; 91:196-209. [PMID: 34668568 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Morphological trait-matching and species abundance are thought to be the main factors affecting the frequency and strength of mutualistic interactions. However, the relative importance of trait-matching and species abundance in shaping species interactions across environmental gradients remains poorly understood, especially for plant-insect mutualisms involving generalist species. Here, we characterised variation in species and trait composition and the relative importance of trait-matching and species abundance in shaping plant-Hymenoptera and plant-Diptera mutualisms in four meadows across an elevational gradient (2,725-3,910 m) in Yulong Snow Mountain, Southwest China. We also evaluated the effects of morphological traits of flower visitors and plant composition on their foraging specialisation (d' and normalised degree). There was a high degree of dissimilarity in the composition of Hymenoptera and Diptera visitors and their visited plants between communities. This variation was mainly driven by the spatial replacement of species. Both for plant-Hymenoptera and plant-Diptera networks, trait-matching between nectar tube depth and proboscis length was a stronger predictor of the interactions between temporally co-occurring plants and flower visitors than species abundance. Fourth-corner analyses revealed statistically significant trait-matching between nectar tube depth and proboscis length in plant-Hymenoptera networks at all sites, suggesting that Hymenoptera consistently foraged on plant species with nectar tube depths matching their proboscis lengths. By contrast, significant trait-matching in plant-Diptera networks was only observed at the two lower elevation sites. The species-level specialisation d' of flower visitors increased significantly as the proboscis length and the difference in nectar tube depth between the plant community and the plants visited by flower visitors increased. Our results highlight that the importance of trait-matching in shaping pairwise interactions and niche partitioning depends on the specific features (e.g. species composition and trait availability) of the plant-pollinator system. For specialised plant-Hymenoptera systems, trait-matching is an important determinant of species interactions, whereas for generalist plant-Diptera systems, trait-matching is relatively unimportant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Hui Zhao
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Amparo Lázaro
- Global Change Research Group, Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (UIB-CSIC), Esporles, Spain
| | - Hai-Dong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhi-Bin Tao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Huan Liang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- Plant Germplasm and Genomics Center, Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Zong-Xin Ren
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Kun Xu
- Lijiang Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - De-Zhu Li
- Plant Germplasm and Genomics Center, Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Hong Wang
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
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21
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Naghiloo S, Nikzat-Siahkolaee S, Esmaillou Z. Size-matching as an important driver of plant-pollinator interactions. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2021; 23:583-591. [PMID: 33655638 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
One of the greatest challenges in ecology is to understand and predict the functional outcome of interaction networks. Size-matching between plants and pollinators is one of the key functional traits expected to play a major role in structuring plant-pollinator interactions. However, the community-wide patterns of size-matching remain largely unexplored. We studied the association between the degree of size-matching and foraging efficiency, pollination efficiency and the probability of pairwise interactions in a community of Lamiaceae. Our study revealed that foraging efficiency is maximal when bee proboscis length corresponds to the corolla tube depth of the flower visited. Pollination efficiency was maximal when the bee body height corresponds to the corolla width of the flower visited. While the degree of size-matching did not influence the probability of interaction, it significantly influenced the strength of the interaction in terms of visitation frequency. We suggest a size-matching index as a reliable metric to predict the frequency of interactions as well as the effectiveness of visits in terms of foraging efficiency and pollination efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Naghiloo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - S Nikzat-Siahkolaee
- Faculty of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Z Esmaillou
- Department of Horticulture, Urmia University, Tehran, Iran
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22
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Cullen N, Xia J, Wei N, Kaczorowski R, Arceo-Gómez G, O'Neill E, Hayes R, Ashman TL. Diversity and composition of pollen loads carried by pollinators are primarily driven by insect traits, not floral community characteristics. Oecologia 2021; 196:131-143. [PMID: 33839922 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04911-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Flowering plants require conspecific pollen to reproduce but they often also receive heterospecific pollen, suggesting that pollinators carry mixed pollen loads. However, little is known about drivers of abundance, diversity or composition of pollen carried by pollinators. Are insect-carried pollen loads shaped by pollinator traits, or do they reflect available floral resources? We quantified pollen on 251 individual bees and 95 flies in a florally diverse community. We scored taxonomic order, sex, body size, hairiness and ecological specialization of pollinators, and recorded composition of available flowers. We used phylogenetically controlled model selection to compare relative influences of pollinator traits and floral resources on abundance, diversity and composition of insect-carried pollen. We tested congruence between composition of pollen loads and available flowers. Pollinator size, specialization and type (female bee, male bee, or fly) described pollen abundance, diversity and composition better than floral diversity. Pollen loads varied widely among insects (10-80,000,000 grains, 1-16 species). Pollen loads of male bees were smaller, but vastly more diverse than those of female bees, and equivalent in size but modestly more diverse than those of flies. Pollen load size and diversity were positively correlated with body size but negatively correlated with insect ecological specialization. These traits also drove variation in taxonomic and phylogenetic composition of insect-carried pollen loads, but composition was only weakly congruent with available floral resources. Qualities of pollinators best predict abundance and diversity of carried pollen indicating that functional composition of pollinator communities may be important to structuring heterospecific pollen transfer among plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nevin Cullen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Jing Xia
- College of Life Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Na Wei
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
- The Holden Arboretum, Kirtland, OH, 44094, USA
| | - Rainee Kaczorowski
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Gerardo Arceo-Gómez
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson, TN, 37614, USA
| | - Elizabeth O'Neill
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Rebecca Hayes
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Tia-Lynn Ashman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
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23
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Dalsgaard B, Maruyama PK, Sonne J, Hansen K, Zanata TB, Abrahamczyk S, Alarcón R, Araujo AC, Araújo FP, Buzato S, Chávez‐González E, Coelho AG, Cotton PA, Díaz‐Valenzuela R, Dufke MF, Enríquez PL, Martins Dias Filho M, Fischer E, Kohler G, Lara C, Las‐Casas FMG, Rosero Lasprilla L, Machado AO, Machado CG, Maglianesi MA, Malucelli TS, Marín‐Gómez OH, Martínez‐García V, Mendes de Azevedo‐Júnior S, da Silva Neto EN, Oliveira PE, Ornelas JF, Ortiz‐Pulido R, Partida‐Lara R, Patiño‐González BI, Najara de Pinho Queiroz S, Ramírez‐Burbano MB, Rech A, Rocca MA, Rodrigues LC, Rui AM, Sazima I, Sazima M, Simmons BI, Tinoco BA, Varassin IG, Vasconcelos MF, Vizentin‐Bugoni J, Watts S, Kennedy JD, Rahbek C, Schleuning M, Martín González AM. The influence of biogeographical and evolutionary histories on morphological trait‐matching and resource specialization in mutualistic hummingbird–plant networks. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Bo Dalsgaard
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate GLOBE Institute University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Ø Denmark
| | - Pietro Kiyoshi Maruyama
- Centre of Ecological Synthesis and Conservation Department of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution ‐ ICB Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) Belo Horizonte Brazil
| | - Jesper Sonne
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate GLOBE Institute University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Ø Denmark
- Center for Global Mountain Biodiversity GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
| | - Katrine Hansen
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate GLOBE Institute University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Ø Denmark
| | - Thais B. Zanata
- Departamento de Botânica e Ecologia Instituto de Biociências Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso Cuiaba Brazil
| | | | - Ruben Alarcón
- Biology Department California State University Channel Islands Camarillo CA USA
| | - Andréa C. Araujo
- Instituto de Biociências Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul Campo Grande Brazil
| | | | - Silvana Buzato
- Departamento de Ecologia Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo Brazil
| | - Edgar Chávez‐González
- Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas Instituto de Ciencias Basicas e IngenieríaUniversidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo Pachuca Mexico
| | - Aline G. Coelho
- Laboratório de Ornitologia Departamento de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana Feira de Santana Brazil
| | - Peter A. Cotton
- Marine Biology & Ecology Research Centre University of Plymouth Plymouth UK
| | - Román Díaz‐Valenzuela
- Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas Instituto de Ciencias Basicas e IngenieríaUniversidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo Pachuca Mexico
| | - Maria F. Dufke
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate GLOBE Institute University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Ø Denmark
| | - Paula L. Enríquez
- Departamento Conservación de la Biodiversidad El Colegio de la Frontera Sur Chiapas Mexico
| | - Manoel Martins Dias Filho
- Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde Universidade Federal de São Carlos São Carlos Brazil
| | - Erich Fischer
- Instituto de Biociências Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul Campo Grande Brazil
| | - Glauco Kohler
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Petrópolis Manaus, Amazonas Brazil
| | - Carlos Lara
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala Tlaxcala Mexico
| | - Flor Maria G. Las‐Casas
- Ciências Biológicas Centro de Estudos Superiores de Zé Doca Universidade Estadual do Maranhão Maranhão Brazil
| | - Liliana Rosero Lasprilla
- Escuela de Ciencias Biologicas Grupo de Investigación Biología para la ConservaciónUniversidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia Tunja Colombia
| | - Adriana O. Machado
- Instituto de Biologia Universidade Federal de Uberlândia Uberlândia Brazil
| | - Caio G. Machado
- Laboratório de Ornitologia Departamento de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana Feira de Santana Brazil
| | - María A. Maglianesi
- Vicerrectoría de Investigación Universidad Estatal a Distancia San José Costa Rica
| | - Tiago S. Malucelli
- Laboratório de Interações e Biologia Reprodutiva Departamento de Botânica Centro PolitécnicoUniversidade Federal do Paraná Curitiba Brazil
| | | | - Vanessa Martínez‐García
- Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas Instituto de Ciencias Basicas e IngenieríaUniversidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo Pachuca Mexico
| | | | - Edvaldo Nunes da Silva Neto
- Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde Universidade Federal de São Carlos São Carlos Brazil
| | - Paulo E. Oliveira
- Instituto de Biologia Universidade Federal de Uberlândia Uberlândia Brazil
| | | | - Raul Ortiz‐Pulido
- Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas Instituto de Ciencias Basicas e IngenieríaUniversidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo Pachuca Mexico
| | - Ruth Partida‐Lara
- Departamento Conservación de la Biodiversidad El Colegio de la Frontera Sur Chiapas Mexico
| | - Blanca Itzel Patiño‐González
- Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas Instituto de Ciencias Basicas e IngenieríaUniversidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo Pachuca Mexico
| | | | - Mónica B. Ramírez‐Burbano
- Departamento de Biología Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas Universidad del Valle Cali Colombia
| | - André Rech
- Faculdade Interdisciplinar de Humanidades Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri Diamantina Brazil
| | - Márcia A. Rocca
- Departamento de Ecologia Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde Universidade Federal de Sergipe São Cristóvão Brazil
| | - Licléia C. Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Ornitologia Departamento de Zoologia Instituto de Ciências BiológicasUniversidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte Brazil
| | - Ana M. Rui
- Departamento de Ecologia Zoologia e Genética Instituto de Biologia Universidade Federal de Pelotas Pelotas Brazil
| | - Ivan Sazima
- Museu de Zoologia Instituto de Biologia Universidade Estadual de Campinas Campinas Brazil
| | - Marlies Sazima
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal Instituto de Biologia Universidade Estadual de Campinas Campinas Brazil
| | - Benno I. Simmons
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation College of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Penryn UK
| | | | - Isabela G. Varassin
- Laboratório de Interações e Biologia Reprodutiva Departamento de Botânica Centro PolitécnicoUniversidade Federal do Paraná Curitiba Brazil
| | - Marcelo F. Vasconcelos
- Museu de Ciências Naturais Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte Brazil
| | | | - Stella Watts
- Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology University of Northampton Northampton UK
| | - Jonathan D. Kennedy
- Natural History Museum of Denmark University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Ø Denmark
| | - Carsten Rahbek
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate GLOBE Institute University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Ø Denmark
- Center for Global Mountain Biodiversity GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
- Department of Life Sciences Imperial College London Ascot UK
- Danish Institute for Advanced Study University of Southern Denmark Odense Denmark
- Institute of Ecology Peking University Beijing China
| | - Matthias Schleuning
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK‐F) Frankfurt (Main) Germany
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24
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Vajna F, Kis J, Szigeti V. Measuring proboscis length in Lepidoptera: a review. ZOOMORPHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00435-020-00507-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
AbstractMouthpart morphologies relate to diet range. Differences among or within species may result in resource partitioning and speciation. In plant-pollinator interactions, mouthpart length has an important role in foraging efficiency, resource partitioning and pollination, hence measuring nectarivorous insect mouthparts’ morphological variation is important. Most adult lepidopterans feed on nectars and participate in pollination. Although a vast range of studies applied morphometric measurements on lepidopteran proboscis (tongue) length, general recommendations on methodologies are scarce. We review available proboscis length measurement methodologies for Lepidoptera. Focusing on how proboscides have been measured, how accurate the measurements were, and how were these constrained by sampling effort, we searched for research articles investigating lepidopteran proboscis length and extracted variables on the aims of measurements, preparation and measurement methodology, and descriptive statistics. Different methods were used both for preparation and measurements. Many of the 135 reviewed papers did not provide descriptions of the procedures applied. Research aims were different among studies. Forty-four percent of the studies measured dead specimens, 13% measured living specimens, and 43% were unclear. Fifteen percent of the studies used callipers, 9% rulers, 1% millimetre scales, 4% ocular micrometers, 3% drawings and 14% photographs; 55% were non-informative. We emphasise the importance to provide detailed descriptions on the methods applied. Providing guidelines for future sampling and measurements, we encourage fellow researchers planning measurements to take into account the effect of specimen preparation techniques on the results, define landmarks, consider resolution, accuracy, precision, choose an appropriate sample size and report details on methodology.
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25
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Ornai A, Keasar T. Floral Complexity Traits as Predictors of Plant-Bee Interactions in a Mediterranean Pollination Web. PLANTS 2020; 9:plants9111432. [PMID: 33114435 PMCID: PMC7694153 DOI: 10.3390/plants9111432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Despite intensive research, predicting pairwise species associations in pollination networks remains a challenge. The morphological fit between flowers and pollinators acts as a filter that allows only some species within the network to interact. Previous studies emphasized the depth of floral tubes as a key shape trait that explains the composition of their animal visitors. Yet, additional shape-related parameters, related to the handling difficulty of flowers, may be important as well. We analyzed a dataset of 2288 visits by six bee genera to 53 flowering species in a Mediterranean plant community. We characterized the plant species by five discrete shape parameters, which potentially affect their accessibility to insects: floral shape class, tube depth, symmetry, corolla segmentation and type of reproductive unit. We then trained a random forest machine-learning model to predict visitor identities, based on the shape traits. The model’s predictor variables also included the Julian date on which each bee visit was observed and the year of observation, as proxies for within- and between-season variation in flower and bee abundance. The model attained a classification accuracy of 0.86 (AUC = 0.96). Using only shape parameters as predictors reduced its classification accuracy to 0.76 (AUC = 0.86), while using only the date and year variables resulted in a prediction accuracy of 0.69 (AUC = 0.80). Among the shape-related variables considered, flower shape class was the most important predictor of visitor identity in a logistic regression model. Our study demonstrates the power of machine-learning algorithms for understanding pollination interactions in a species-rich plant community, based on multiple features of flower morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alon Ornai
- Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel;
| | - Tamar Keasar
- Biology and the Environment, University of Haifa–Oranim, Tivon 36006, Israel
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +972-52-871-8860
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26
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Biella P, Akter A, Ollerton J, Nielsen A, Klecka J. An empirical attack tolerance test alters the structure and species richness of plant–pollinator networks. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Biella
- ZooPlantLab Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences University of Milano‐Bicocca Milan Italy
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
- Institute of Entomology Biology Centre Czech Academy of Sciences České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Asma Akter
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
- Institute of Entomology Biology Centre Czech Academy of Sciences České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Jeff Ollerton
- Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology University of Northampton Northampton UK
| | - Anders Nielsen
- Norwegian Institute for Bioeconomy Research Ås Norway
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES) Department of Biosciences University of Oslo Oslo Norway
| | - Jan Klecka
- Institute of Entomology Biology Centre Czech Academy of Sciences České Budějovice Czech Republic
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27
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Flower traits associated with the visitation patterns of bees. Oecologia 2020; 193:511-522. [PMID: 32495034 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04674-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Plant-pollinator interactions are partially driven by the expression of plant traits that signal and attract bees to the nutritional resources within flowers. Although multiple physical and chemical floral traits are known to influence the visitation patterns of bees, how distinct bee groups vary in their responses to floral traits has yet to be elucidated. In this study, we used a common garden experiment to test for morphological floral traits associated with pollen quantity at the plant species level, and examined how the visitation patterns of taxonomically and functionally distinct bee groups are related to flower trait characteristics of 39 wildflower species. We also determined how floral traits influence the structure of wild bee communities visiting plants and whether this varies among geographic localities. Our results suggest that floral area is the primary morphological floral trait related to bee visitation of several distinct bee groups, but that wild bee families and functionally distinct bee groups have unique responses to floral trait expression. The composition of the wild bee communities visiting different plants was most strongly associated with variability in floral area, flower height, and the quantity of pollen retained in flowers. Our results inform wildflower habitat management for bees by demonstrating that the visitation patterns of distinct bee taxa can be predicted by floral traits, and highlight that variability in these traits should be considered when selecting plants to support pollinators.
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28
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Peralta G, Vázquez DP, Chacoff NP, Lomáscolo SB, Perry GLW, Tylianakis JM. Trait matching and phenological overlap increase the spatio-temporal stability and functionality of plant-pollinator interactions. Ecol Lett 2020; 23:1107-1116. [PMID: 32418369 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Revised: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Morphology and phenology influence plant-pollinator network structure, but whether they generate more stable pairwise interactions with higher pollination success remains unknown. Here we evaluate the importance of morphological trait matching, phenological overlap and specialisation for the spatio-temporal stability (measured as variability) of plant-pollinator interactions and for pollination success, while controlling for species' abundance. To this end, we combined a 6-year plant-pollinator interaction dataset, with information on species traits, phenologies, specialisation, abundance and pollination success, into structural equation models. Interactions among abundant plants and pollinators with well-matched traits and phenologies formed the stable and functional backbone of the pollination network, whereas poorly matched interactions were variable in time and had lower pollination success. We conclude that phenological overlap could be more useful for predicting changes in species interactions than species abundances, and that non-random extinction of species with well-matched traits could decrease the stability of interactions within communities and reduce their functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guadalupe Peralta
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Diego P Vázquez
- Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas, CONICET, Mendoza, Argentina.,Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Natacha P Chacoff
- Instituto de Ecología Regional, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina.,Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e IML, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Silvia B Lomáscolo
- Instituto de Ecología Regional, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - George L W Perry
- School of Environment, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Jason M Tylianakis
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
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29
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Richman SK, Levine JM, Stefan L, Johnson CA. Asynchronous range shifts drive alpine plant-pollinator interactions and reduce plant fitness. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:3052-3064. [PMID: 32061109 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Revised: 12/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is driving species' range shifts, which are in turn disrupting species interactions due to species-specific differences in their abilities to migrate in response to climate. We evaluated the consequences of asynchronous range shifts in an alpine plant-pollinator community by transplanting replicated alpine meadow turfs downslope along an elevational gradient thereby introducing them to warmer climates and novel plant and pollinator communities. We asked how these novel plant-pollinator interactions affect plant reproduction. We found that pollinator communities differed substantially across the elevation/temperature gradient, suggesting that these plants will likely interact with different pollinator communities with warming climate. Contrary to the expectation that floral visitation would increase monotonically with warmer temperatures at lower elevations, visitation rate to the transplanted communities peaked under intermediate warming at midelevation sites. In contrast, visitation rate generally increased with temperature for the local, lower elevation plant communities surrounding the experimental alpine turfs. For two of three focal plant species in the transplanted high-elevation community, reproduction declined at warmer sites. For these species, reproduction appears to be dependent on pollinator identity such that reduced reproduction may be attributable to decreased visitation from key pollinator species, such as bumble bees, at warmer sites. Reproduction in the third focal species appears to be primarily driven by overall pollinator visitation rate, regardless of pollinator identity. Taken together, the results suggest climate warming can indirectly affect plant reproduction via changes in plant-pollinator interactions. More broadly, the experiment provides a case study for predicting the outcome of novel species interactions formed under changing climates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah K Richman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Jonathan M Levine
- Institute of Integrative Biology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Laura Stefan
- Institute of Integrative Biology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Christopher A Johnson
- Institute of Integrative Biology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
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30
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Dehling DM, Peralta G, Bender IMA, Blendinger PG, Böhning-Gaese K, Muñoz MC, Neuschulz EL, Quitián M, Saavedra F, Santillán V, Schleuning M, Stouffer DB. Similar composition of functional roles in Andean seed-dispersal networks, despite high species and interaction turnover. Ecology 2020; 101:e03028. [PMID: 32112402 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The species composition of local communities varies in space, and its similarity generally decreases with increasing geographic distance between communities, a phenomenon known as distance decay of similarity. It is, however, not known how changes in local species composition affect ecological processes, that is, whether they lead to differences in the local composition of species' functional roles. We studied eight seed-dispersal networks along the South American Andes and compared them with regard to their species composition and their composition of functional roles. We tested (1) if changes in bird species composition lead to changes in the composition of bird functional roles, and (2) if the similarity in species composition and functional-role composition decreased with increasing geographic distance between the networks. We also used cluster analysis to (3) identify bird species with similar roles across all networks based on the similarity in the plants they consume, (i) considering only the species identity of the plants and (ii) considering the functional traits of the plants. Despite strong changes in species composition, the networks along the Andes showed similar composition of functional roles. (1) Changes in species composition generally did not lead to changes in the composition of functional roles. (2) Similarity in species composition, but not functional-role composition, decreased with increasing geographic distance between the networks. (3) The cluster analysis considering the functional traits of plants identified bird species with similar functional roles across all networks. The similarity in functional roles despite the high species turnover suggests that the ecological process of seed dispersal is organized similarly along the Andes, with similar functional roles fulfilled locally by different sets of species. The high species turnover, relative to functional turnover, also indicates that a large number of bird species are needed to maintain the seed-dispersal process along the Andes.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Matthias Dehling
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.,Department of Biometry and Environmental System Analysis, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Guadalupe Peralta
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Irene M A Bender
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Instituto de Ecología Regional, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, CC34, 4107, Yerba Buena, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Pedro G Blendinger
- Instituto de Ecología Regional, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, CC34, 4107, Yerba Buena, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Katrin Böhning-Gaese
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, Frankfurt am Main, 60439, Germany
| | - Marcia C Muñoz
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Programa de Biología, Universidad de la Salle, Carrera 2 # 10-70, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Eike Lena Neuschulz
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Marta Quitián
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Francisco Saavedra
- Instituto de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Puras y Naturales, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La Paz, Bolivia
| | - Vinicio Santillán
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Matthias Schleuning
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Daniel B Stouffer
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
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31
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Classen A, Eardley CD, Hemp A, Peters MK, Peters RS, Ssymank A, Steffan‐Dewenter I. Specialization of plant-pollinator interactions increases with temperature at Mt. Kilimanjaro. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:2182-2195. [PMID: 32128148 PMCID: PMC7042760 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
AIM Species differ in their degree of specialization when interacting with other species, with significant consequences for the function and robustness of ecosystems. In order to better estimate such consequences, we need to improve our understanding of the spatial patterns and drivers of specialization in interaction networks. METHODS Here, we used the extensive environmental gradient of Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania, East Africa) to study patterns and drivers of specialization, and robustness of plant-pollinator interactions against simulated species extinction with standardized sampling methods. We studied specialization, network robustness and other network indices of 67 quantitative plant-pollinator networks consisting of 268 observational hours and 4,380 plant-pollinator interactions along a 3.4 km elevational gradient. Using path analysis, we tested whether resource availability, pollinator richness, visitation rates, temperature, and/or area explain average specialization in pollinator communities. We further linked pollinator specialization to different pollinator taxa, and species traits, that is, proboscis length, body size, and species elevational ranges. RESULTS We found that specialization decreased with increasing elevation at different levels of biological organization. Among all variables, mean annual temperature was the best predictor of average specialization in pollinator communities. Specialization differed between pollinator taxa, but was not related to pollinator traits. Network robustness against simulated species extinctions of both plants and pollinators was lowest in the most specialized interaction networks, that is, in the lowlands. CONCLUSIONS Our study uncovers patterns in plant-pollinator specialization along elevational gradients. Mean annual temperature was closely linked to pollinator specialization. Energetic constraints, caused by short activity timeframes in cold highlands, may force ectothermic species to broaden their dietary spectrum. Alternatively or in addition, accelerated evolutionary rates might facilitate the establishment of specialization under warm climates. Despite the mechanisms behind the patterns have yet to be fully resolved, our data suggest that temperature shifts in the course of climate change may destabilize pollination networks by affecting network architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Classen
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical BiologyBiocenterUniversity of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
| | - Connal D. Eardley
- Unit of Environmental Sciences and ManagementNorth West UniversityPotchefstroomSouth Africa
| | - Andreas Hemp
- Department of Plant SystematicsUniversity of BayreuthBayreuthGermany
| | - Marcell K. Peters
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical BiologyBiocenterUniversity of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
| | - Ralph S. Peters
- Department ArthropodaZoological Research Museum Alexander KoenigBonnGermany
| | | | - Ingolf Steffan‐Dewenter
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical BiologyBiocenterUniversity of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
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32
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Primate Infectious Disease Ecology: Insights and Future Directions at the Human-Macaque Interface. THE BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY OF THE TIBETAN MACAQUE 2020. [PMCID: PMC7123869 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-27920-2_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Global population expansion has increased interactions and conflicts between humans and nonhuman primates over shared ecological space and resources. Such ecological overlap, along with our shared evolutionary histories, makes human-nonhuman primate interfaces hot spots for the acquisition and transmission of parasites. In this chapter, we bring to light the importance of human-macaque interfaces in particular as hot spots for infectious disease ecological and epidemiological assessments. We first outline the significance and broader objectives behind research related to the subfield of primate infectious disease ecology and epidemiology. We then reveal how members of the genus Macaca, being among the most socioecologically flexible and invasive of all primate taxa, live under varying degrees of overlap with humans in anthropogenic landscapes. Thus, human-macaque interfaces may favor the bidirectional exchange of parasites. We then review studies that have isolated various types of parasites at human-macaque interfaces, using information from the Global Mammal Parasite Database (GMPD: http://www.mammalparasites.org/). Finally, we elaborate on avenues through which the implementation of both novel conceptual frameworks (e.g., Coupled Systems, One Health) and quantitative network-based approaches (e.g., social and bipartite networks, agent-based modeling) may potentially address some of the critical gaps in our current knowledge of infectious disease ecology at human-primate interfaces.
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33
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de Andreazzi CS, Astegiano J, Guimarães PR. Coevolution by different functional mechanisms modulates the structure and dynamics of antagonistic and mutualistic networks. OIKOS 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.06737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Siliansky de Andreazzi
- Depto de Ecologia, Univ. de São Paulo (USP), Rua do Matão, 321 – Trav. 14 Cid. Universitária São Paulo CEP 05508‐090 Brazil
- Laboratório de Biologia e Parasitologia de Mamíferos Silvestres Reservatórios, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ Rio de Janeiro Brazil
| | - Julia Astegiano
- Depto de Ecologia, Univ. de São Paulo (USP), Rua do Matão, 321 – Trav. 14 Cid. Universitária São Paulo CEP 05508‐090 Brazil
- Grupo de Interacciones Ecológicas y Conservación, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Univ. Nacional de Córdoba, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas Córdoba Argentina
| | - Paulo R. Guimarães
- Depto de Ecologia, Univ. de São Paulo (USP), Rua do Matão, 321 – Trav. 14 Cid. Universitária São Paulo CEP 05508‐090 Brazil
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34
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Grantham MA, Ford BA, Worley AC. Pollination and fruit set in two rewardless slipper orchids and their hybrids (Cypripedium, Orchidaceae): large yellow flowers outperform small white flowers in the northern tall grass prairie. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2019; 21:997-1007. [PMID: 31276285 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Species with rewardless flowers often have low fruit to flower ratios, although wide temporal and spatial variation in fruiting success can occur. We compared floral phenotypes, insect visitors and fruiting success in four populations of the small white (Cypripedium candidum) and yellow (C. parviflorum) lady's slipper orchids and their hybrids near the northern extent of North America's tall grass prairie. Flower and fruit numbers were observed for two seasons on marked individuals (n = 1811). Floral traits were measured on 82-140 individuals per taxon and analysed in relation to fruiting success. All insects found inside flowers were collected, inspected for pollen smears and measured for comparison to floral features. Among orchid taxa, C. candidum had the smallest flowers, lowest number and variety of insect visitors, and lowest fruit to flower ratios. These measures were intermediate in hybrids and highest in C. parviflorum, despite low flower numbers in the latter. Within orchid taxa, fruit number was positively related to flower number, but fruit to flower ratios decreased slightly, as would be expected if pollinators left unrewarding patches. Potential pollinators included the dipteran Odontomyia pubescens and hymenopterans Andrena spp., Apis mellifera and Lasioglossum zonulum. Cypripedium parviflorum had a reproductive advantage over C. candidum across multiple populations and years. Hybrids showed segregation for floral traits, and hybrid fruiting success increased with a deeper intensity of yellow pigment and larger escape routes for floral visitors. These same attributes likely contributed to the relatively high fruit set in C. parviflorum in the study region.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Grantham
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - B A Ford
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - A C Worley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
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35
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Chole H, Woodard SH, Bloch G. Body size variation in bees: regulation, mechanisms, and relationship to social organization. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 35:77-87. [PMID: 31426016 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2019.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2019] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Size polymorphism is common in bees, and is determined by environmental factors such as temperature, brood cell size, and the diet provided to developing larvae. In social bees, these factors are further influenced by intricate interactions between the queen, workers, and the developing brood which eventually determine the final size and caste of developing larvae. Environmental and social factors act in part on juvenile hormone and ecdysteroids, which are key hormonal regulators of body size and caste determination. In some social bees, body size variation is central for social organization because it structures reproductive division of labor, task allocation among workers, or both. At ecological scales, body size also impacts bee-mediated pollination services in solitary and social species by influencing floral visitation and pollination efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Chole
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Sarah Hollis Woodard
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Guy Bloch
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.
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36
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Klomberg Y, Dywou Kouede R, Bartoš M, Mertens JEJ, Tropek R, Fokam EB, Janeček Š. The role of ultraviolet reflectance and pattern in the pollination system of Hypoxis camerooniana (Hypoxidaceae). AOB PLANTS 2019; 11:plz057. [PMID: 31649811 PMCID: PMC6803167 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plz057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Apart from floral morphology and colours perceived by the human eye, ultraviolet (UV) reflectance acts as an important visual advertisement of numerous flowering plant species for pollinators. However, the effect of UV signalling on attracting pollinators of particular plant species is still insufficiently studied, especially in the Afrotropics. Therefore, we studied the pollination system of Hypoxis camerooniana in montane grasslands of Mount Cameroon, West/Central Africa. We focused mainly on the effects of the flowers' UV reflectance on its visitors. We experimentally removed UV reflection from petals either completely or partially. Thereafter, flower visitors were recorded and pistils were collected post-flowering to quantify germinated pollen tubes per treatments. The most important visitors were bees, followed by flies. Due to their contacts with reproductive organs bees are considered as the primary pollinators. Visitation rates were lower when UV reflectance was completely removed, whereas the decrease of frequency on half-treated flowers did not differ significantly from control treatments. The complete removal of UV also affected bees' landing behaviour, but not that of flies. We showed that the presence of UV reflectance is more important than UV pattern for bees visiting flowers of H. camerooniana. We hypothesize that exploiting all flowers irrespective of their pattern can be more efficient for pollinators in the open grasslands of high altitudes to spot these relatively scarce flowers by their UV reflectance. Furthermore, we highlight the necessity of both experimental and natural controls in similar studies to control for additional effects of the used UV manipulations. Many plants advertise their flowers with UV reflectance visible to their insect visitors. By manipulating the UV reflectance and pattern of Hypoxis camerooniana in the Afromontane grasslands of Mount Cameroon, we have shown how crucial it is for the predominant visitor, bees. Both bees' preferences for flowers and their behaviour during visits are influenced by changes in UV reflectance. However, the presence of some UV signal is more important than the specific pattern. Especially in montane grasslands with higher UV irradiation, the UV floral colours are important for recognition of flowers by potential pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yannick Klomberg
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 12844 Prague, Czechia
| | - Raissa Dywou Kouede
- Department of Zoology and Animal Physiology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, PO Box 63 Buea, Cameroon
| | - Michael Bartoš
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dukelská 135, 37901 Třeboň, Czechia
| | - Jan E J Mertens
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 12844 Prague, Czechia
| | - Robert Tropek
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 12844 Prague, Czechia
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Eric B Fokam
- Department of Zoology and Animal Physiology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, PO Box 63 Buea, Cameroon
| | - Štěpán Janeček
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 12844 Prague, Czechia
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37
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de Aguiar MAM, Newman EA, Pires MM, Yeakel JD, Boettiger C, Burkle LA, Gravel D, Guimarães PR, O'Donnell JL, Poisot T, Fortin MJ, Hembry DH. Revealing biases in the sampling of ecological interaction networks. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7566. [PMID: 31534845 PMCID: PMC6727833 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The structure of ecological interactions is commonly understood through analyses of interaction networks. However, these analyses may be sensitive to sampling biases with respect to both the interactors (the nodes of the network) and interactions (the links between nodes), because the detectability of species and their interactions is highly heterogeneous. These ecological and statistical issues directly affect ecologists’ abilities to accurately construct ecological networks. However, statistical biases introduced by sampling are difficult to quantify in the absence of full knowledge of the underlying ecological network’s structure. To explore properties of large-scale ecological networks, we developed the software EcoNetGen, which constructs and samples networks with predetermined topologies. These networks may represent a wide variety of communities that vary in size and types of ecological interactions. We sampled these networks with different mathematical sampling designs that correspond to methods used in field observations. The observed networks generated by each sampling process were then analyzed with respect to the number of components, size of components and other network metrics. We show that the sampling effort needed to estimate underlying network properties depends strongly both on the sampling design and on the underlying network topology. In particular, networks with random or scale-free modules require more complete sampling to reveal their structure, compared to networks whose modules are nested or bipartite. Overall, modules with nested structure were the easiest to detect, regardless of the sampling design used. Sampling a network starting with any species that had a high degree (e.g., abundant generalist species) was consistently found to be the most accurate strategy to estimate network structure. Because high-degree species tend to be generalists, abundant in natural communities relative to specialists, and connected to each other, sampling by degree may therefore be common but unintentional in empirical sampling of networks. Conversely, sampling according to module (representing different interaction types or taxa) results in a rather complete view of certain modules, but fails to provide a complete picture of the underlying network. To reduce biases introduced by sampling methods, we recommend that these findings be incorporated into field design considerations for projects aiming to characterize large species interaction networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus A M de Aguiar
- Instituto de Física "Gleb Wataghin", Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Erica A Newman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Mathias M Pires
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Justin D Yeakel
- School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA, USA.,Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA
| | - Carl Boettiger
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Laura A Burkle
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Dominique Gravel
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Paulo R Guimarães
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - James L O'Donnell
- School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Timothée Poisot
- Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Québec Centre for Biodiversity Sciences, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Marie-Josée Fortin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - David H Hembry
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.,Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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38
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Burns JH, Bennett JM, Li J, Xia J, Arceo-Gómez G, Burd M, Burkle LA, Durka W, Ellis AG, Freitas L, Rodger JG, Vamosi JC, Wolowski M, Ashman TL, Knight TM, Steets JA. Plant traits moderate pollen limitation of introduced and native plants: a phylogenetic meta-analysis of global scale. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2019; 223:2063-2075. [PMID: 31116447 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The role of pollination in the success of invasive plants needs to be understood because invasives have substantial effects on species interactions and ecosystem functions. Previous research has shown both that reproduction of invasive plants is often pollen limited and that invasive plants can have high seed production, motivating the questions: How do invasive populations maintain reproductive success in spite of pollen limitation? What species traits moderate pollen limitation for invaders? We conducted a phylogenetic meta-analysis with 68 invasive, 50 introduced noninvasive and 1931 native plant populations, across 1249 species. We found that invasive populations with generalist pollination or pollinator dependence were less pollen limited than natives, but invasives and introduced noninvasives did not differ. Invasive species produced 3× fewer ovules/flower and >250× more flowers per plant, compared with their native relatives. While these traits were negatively correlated, consistent with a tradeoff, this did not differ with invasion status. Invasive plants that produce many flowers and have floral generalisation are able to compensate for or avoid pollen limitation, potentially helping to explain the invaders' reproductive successes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean H Burns
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106-7080, USA
| | - Joanne M Bennett
- Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle (Saale), Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Junmin Li
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation, Taizhou University, Taizhou City, 318000, China
| | - Jing Xia
- College of Life Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Gerardo Arceo-Gómez
- Department of Biological Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, 37614,, USA
| | - Martin Burd
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Laura A Burkle
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
| | - Walter Durka
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4, Halle (Saale), 06120, Germany
| | - Allan G Ellis
- Department of Botany and Zoology, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa
| | - Leandro Freitas
- Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, Rio de Janeiro, 22460-030, Brazil
| | - James G Rodger
- Department of Botany and Zoology, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa
- Department of Plant Ecology and Evolution, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18 D, Uppsala, SE-752 36, Sweden
| | - Jana C Vamosi
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N1N4, Canada
| | - Marina Wolowski
- Institute of Natural Sciences, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, Minas Gerais, 37130-001, Brazil
| | - Tia-Lynn Ashman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15217, USA
| | - Tiffany M Knight
- Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle (Saale), Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4, Halle (Saale), 06120, Germany
| | - Janette A Steets
- Department of Plant Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
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39
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Melin A, Krenn HW, Bowie RCK, Beale CM, Manning JC, Colville JF. The allometry of proboscis length in Melittidae (Hymenoptera: Apoidae) and an estimate of their foraging distance using museum collections. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0217839. [PMID: 31173614 PMCID: PMC6555519 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
An appreciation of body size allometry is central for understanding insect pollination ecology. A recent model utilises allometric coefficients for five of the seven extant bee families (Apoidea: Anthophila) to include crucial but difficult-to-measure traits, such as proboscis length, in ecological and evolutionary studies. Melittidae were not included although they are important pollinators in South Africa where they comprise an especially rich and morphologically diverse fauna. We measured intertegular distance (correlated with body size) and proboscis length of 179 specimens of 11 species from three genera of Melittidae. With the inclusion of Melittidae, we tested the between family differences in the allometric scaling coefficients. AIC model selection was used to establish which factors provide the best estimate of proboscis length. We explored a hypothesis that has been proposed in the literature, but which has not been tested, whereby body and range sizes of bees are correlated with rainfall regions. We tested this by using body size measurements of 2109 museum specimens from 56 species of Melittidae and applied the model coefficients to estimate proboscis length and foraging distance. Our results from testing differences across bee families show that with the addition of Melittidae, we retained the overall pattern of significant differences in the scaling coefficient among Apoidea, with our model explaining 98% of the variance in species-level means for proboscis length. When testing the relationship between body size and rainfall region we found no relationship for South African Melittidae. Overall, this study has added allometric scaling coefficients for an important bee family and shown the applicability of using these coefficients when linked with museum specimens to test ecological hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalie Melin
- Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Compton Herbarium, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Claremont, South Africa
| | - Harald W. Krenn
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Faculty of Life Science, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rauri C. K. Bowie
- Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California—Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Colin M. Beale
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - John C. Manning
- Compton Herbarium, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Claremont, South Africa
- Research Centre for Plant Growth and Development, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, Scottsville, South Africa
| | - Jonathan F. Colville
- Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Kirstenbosch Research Centre, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Claremont, Cape Town, South Africa
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40
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Pollinators and visitors of the generalized food-deceptive orchid Dactylorhiza majalis in North-Eastern Poland. Biologia (Bratisl) 2019. [DOI: 10.2478/s11756-019-00285-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
AbstractPollinator foraging behavior plays a key role in breeding and therefore affects the evolution of the orchid reproductive strategy. Food-deceptive orchids usually implement a generalized plant pollination strategy and a relatively diverse group of pollinators visit them. Dactylorhiza majalis is a food-deceptive, early-flowering orchid that relies on insect-mediated pollination. This study’s objectives were to identify D. majalis’ pollinators and flower visitors and their foraging behaviors on D. majalis inflorescences. We also assessed the bending movement time to determine the relationship between bending time and the duration of pollinators’ visits. To assess pollination efficiency, we measured the spur length of D. majalis flowers, which is expected to affect the mechanical fit to pollinators/“potential” pollinators. The arthropod fauna were investigated to examine the availability of “potential” pollinators in populations. We identified Apis mellifera as this orchid’s main pollinator and confirmed that few of the flower visitors belonged to Diptera (12 individuals, 9 taxa), Hymenoptera (3 individuals, 3 taxa), or Coleoptera (2 individuals, 2 taxa) in our dataset, which was collected over a 2-year period and includes 360 h of video. The arthropods were collected by a sweep net in D. majalis populations and there were fewer Hymenoptera (2.9–23.2%) and Coleoptera (4.4–23.8%) visitors but more Diptera (23.3–58.6%) visitors. We found that A. mellifera foraged in different ways on D. majalis inflorescences, thereby resulting in cross-pollination and/or geitonogamy; however, the bending time data supported the hypothesis about promoting cross-pollination while decreasing self-pollination, but these data do not exclude the possibility of geitonogamy.
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41
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Aguado D, Gutierrez-Chacón C, Muñoz MC. Estructura funcional y patrones de especialización en las relaciones planta-polinizador de un agroecosistema en el Valle del Cauca, Colombia. ACTA BIOLÓGICA COLOMBIANA 2019. [DOI: 10.15446/abc.v24n2.73177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Los himenópteros son los principales polinizadores de los sistemas agrícolas y juegan un papel clave en la producción de alimentos. Sin embargo, poco se ha estudiado sobre las redes de polinización y la dependencia de las plantas a polinizadores en agroecosistemas tropicales. El objetivo de este estudio fue describir la red de polinizadores asociada a un agroecosistema y evaluar la influencia de los rasgos morfológicos de las especies en la polinización. El estudio se realizó en un agroecosistema en el Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Entre enero y febrero del 2017 se emplearon 96 h de observación y se cuantificaron las interacciones entre polinizadores y flores; se estimó la duración promedio de visita por polinizador, se registró la abundancia floral y se midieron los principales rasgos morfológicos de plantas y polinizadores. En las plantas se midió el largo de la corola, y en los polinizadores, masa corporal y longitud de lengua. En total se identificaron 17 especies de polinizadores que visitaron ocho especies de plantas (cinco agrícolas y tres arvenses). Se encontró que la red es especializada (H₂' = 0,8) con un grado de anidamiento bajo (NODF = 10,4), y que las plantas fueron especialistas y dependientes a los polinizadores (75 % spp. d’ > 0,7). Además, se encontró que la abundancia floral y la masa corporal de los himenópteros influencian la duración de visita, lo cual podría afectar la calidad de la polinización. Este estudio revela que la especialización ecológica y la complementariedad funcional de los himenópteros influyen en la polinización de agroecosistemas.
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42
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Dos Santos CF, Halinski R, de Souza Dos Santos PD, Almeida EAB, Blochtein B. Looking beyond the flowers: associations of stingless bees with sap-sucking insects. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2019; 106:12. [PMID: 30927121 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-019-1608-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2018] [Revised: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The main sources of food for stingless bees are the nectar and pollen harvested from flowers, whereas one important kind of nesting material (i.e. wax) is produced by their own abdominal glands. Stingless bees can, nonetheless, obtain alternative resources of food and wax from exudates released by sap-sucking insects as honeydew and waxy cover, respectively. To date, there are no comprehensive studies investigating how diversified and structured the network interactions between stingless bees and sap-sucking insects are. Here, we conducted a survey of the data on relationship between stingless bees and sap-sucking insects to evaluate: (1) which resources are collected by which stingless bee species; (2) how diverse the interaction network is, using species degree and specialisation index as a proxy; and if (3) there would be any phylogenetic signal in the species degree and specialisation indices. Our findings demonstrate that approximately 21 stingless bee species like Trigona spp. and Oxytrigona spp. have been observed interacting with 11 sap-sucking species, among which Aethalion reticulatum is the main partner. From ca. 50 records, Brazil is the country with most observations (n = 38) of this type of ecological interaction. We found also that stingless bees harvest fivefold more honeydew than waxy covers on sap-sucking insects. However, we did not find any phylogenetic signal for the occurrence of this interaction, considering species degree and specialisation indices, suggesting that both traits apparently evolved independently among stingless bee species. We suggest that specific ecological demands may drive this opportunistic behaviour exhibited by stingless bees, because major sources of food are obtained from flowers and these bees produce their own wax.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Fernando Dos Santos
- Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga, 6681, Porto Alegre, RS, 90619-900, Brazil.
| | - Rosana Halinski
- Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga, 6681, Porto Alegre, RS, 90619-900, Brazil
| | - Patrick Douglas de Souza Dos Santos
- Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga, 6681, Porto Alegre, RS, 90619-900, Brazil.,Departamento de Genética, Laboratório de Biologia do Desenvolvimento de Abelhas, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, 3.900, Ribeirao Preto, SP, 14040-901, Brazil
| | - Eduardo A B Almeida
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas, Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP, 14040-901, Brazil
| | - Betina Blochtein
- Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga, 6681, Porto Alegre, RS, 90619-900, Brazil
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43
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Ibañez A, Moré M, Salazar G, Leiva S, Barboza G, Cocucci A. Crescendo, diminuendo and subito of the trumpets: winds of change in the concerted evolution between flowers and pollinators in Salpichroa (Solanaceae). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2019; 132:90-99. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2018.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2018] [Revised: 10/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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44
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Bramon Mora B, Dalla Riva GV, Stouffer DB. Unmasking structural patterns in incidence matrices: an application to ecological data. J R Soc Interface 2019; 16:20180747. [PMID: 30958192 PMCID: PMC6408342 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2018.0747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Null models have become a crucial tool for understanding structure within incidence matrices across multiple biological contexts. For example, they have been widely used for the study of ecological and biogeographic questions, testing hypotheses regarding patterns of community assembly, species co-occurrence and biodiversity. However, to our knowledge we remain without a general and flexible approach to study the mechanisms explaining such structures. Here, we provide a method for generating 'correlation-informed' null models, which combine the classic concept of null models and tools from community ecology, like joint statistical modelling. Generally, this model allows us to assess whether the information encoded within any given correlation matrix is predictive for explaining structural patterns observed within an incidence matrix. To demonstrate its utility, we apply our approach to two different case studies that represent examples of common scenarios encountered in community ecology. First, we use a phylogenetically informed null model to detect a strong evolutionary fingerprint within empirically observed food webs, reflecting key differences in the impact of shared evolutionary history when shaping the interactions of predators or prey. Second, we use multiple informed null models to identify which factors determine structural patterns of species assemblages, focusing in on the study of nestedness and the influence of site size, isolation, species range and species richness. In addition to offering a versatile way to study the mechanisms shaping the structure of any incidence matrix, including those describing ecological communities, our approach can also be adapted further to test even more sophisticated hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernat Bramon Mora
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Giulio V. Dalla Riva
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Daniel B. Stouffer
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
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45
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Kendall LK, Rader R, Gagic V, Cariveau DP, Albrecht M, Baldock KCR, Freitas BM, Hall M, Holzschuh A, Molina FP, Morten JM, Pereira JS, Portman ZM, Roberts SPM, Rodriguez J, Russo L, Sutter L, Vereecken NJ, Bartomeus I. Pollinator size and its consequences: Robust estimates of body size in pollinating insects. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:1702-1714. [PMID: 30847066 PMCID: PMC6392396 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Revised: 11/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Body size is an integral functional trait that underlies pollination-related ecological processes, yet it is often impractical to measure directly. Allometric scaling laws have been used to overcome this problem. However, most existing models rely upon small sample sizes, geographically restricted sampling and have limited applicability for non-bee taxa. Allometric models that consider biogeography, phylogenetic relatedness, and intraspecific variation are urgently required to ensure greater accuracy. We measured body size as dry weight and intertegular distance (ITD) of 391 bee species (4,035 specimens) and 103 hoverfly species (399 specimens) across four biogeographic regions: Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. We updated existing models within a Bayesian mixed-model framework to test the power of ITD to predict interspecific variation in pollinator dry weight in interaction with different co-variates: phylogeny or taxonomy, sexual dimorphism, and biogeographic region. In addition, we used ordinary least squares regression to assess intraspecific dry weight ~ ITD relationships for ten bees and five hoverfly species. Including co-variates led to more robust interspecific body size predictions for both bees and hoverflies relative to models with the ITD alone. In contrast, at the intraspecific level, our results demonstrate that the ITD is an inconsistent predictor of body size for bees and hoverflies. The use of allometric scaling laws to estimate body size is more suitable for interspecific comparative analyses than assessing intraspecific variation. Collectively, these models form the basis of the dynamic R package, "pollimetry," which provides a comprehensive resource for allometric pollination research worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam K. Kendall
- School of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNew South WalesAustralia
- CSIRO AgricultureBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Romina Rader
- School of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Vesna Gagic
- CSIRO AgricultureBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | | | | | | | - Breno M. Freitas
- Departamento de Zootecnia—CCAUniversidade Federal do CearáFortalezaBrazil
| | - Mark Hall
- School of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Andrea Holzschuh
- Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, BiocenterUniversity of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
| | - Francisco P. Molina
- Dpto. Ecología IntegrativaEstación Biológica de Doñana (EBD‐CSIC)SevillaSpain
| | - Joanne M. Morten
- School of Biological Sciences & Cabot InstituteUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | - Janaely S. Pereira
- Departamento de Zootecnia—CCAUniversidade Federal do CearáFortalezaBrazil
| | | | | | - Juanita Rodriguez
- Australian National Insect Collection, CSIROCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Laura Russo
- Botany DepartmentTrinity College DublinDublinIreland
| | - Louis Sutter
- Agroscope, Agroecology and EnvironmentZürichSwitzerland
| | - Nicolas J. Vereecken
- Interfaculty School of Bioengineers, Université Libre de BruxellesBruxellesBelgium
| | - Ignasi Bartomeus
- Dpto. Ecología IntegrativaEstación Biológica de Doñana (EBD‐CSIC)SevillaSpain
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46
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Klumpers SGT, Stang M, Klinkhamer PGL. Foraging efficiency and size matching in a plant-pollinator community: the importance of sugar content and tongue length. Ecol Lett 2019; 22:469-479. [PMID: 30609161 PMCID: PMC6850310 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Revised: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
A long-standing question in ecology is how species interactions are structured within communities. Although evolutionary theory predicts close size matching between floral nectar tube depth and pollinator proboscis length of interacting species, such size matching has seldom been shown and explained in multispecies assemblages. Here, we investigated the degree of size matching among Asteraceae and their pollinators and its relationship with foraging efficiency. The majority of pollinators, especially Hymenoptera, choose plant species on which they had high foraging efficiencies. When proboscides were shorter than nectar tubes, foraging efficiency rapidly decreased because of increased handling time. When proboscides were longer than nectar tubes, a decreased nectar reward rather than an increased handling time made shallow flowers more inefficient to visit. Altogether, this led to close size matching. Overall, our results show the importance of nectar reward and handling time as drivers of plant-pollinator network structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saskia G T Klumpers
- Plant Ecology and Phytochemistry, Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, 81224, USA.,School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, 3209, South Africa
| | - Martina Stang
- Plant Ecology and Phytochemistry, Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, 81224, USA
| | - Peter G L Klinkhamer
- Plant Ecology and Phytochemistry, Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE, Leiden, The Netherlands
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47
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Quitián M, Santillán V, Bender IMA, Espinosa CI, Homeier J, Böhning‐Gaese K, Schleuning M, Lena Neuschulz E. Functional responses of avian frugivores to variation in fruit resources between natural and fragmented forests. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marta Quitián
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt (SBiK-F) Frankfurt am Main Germany
- Departament of Biological SciencesGoethe University Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main Germany
| | - Vinicio Santillán
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt (SBiK-F) Frankfurt am Main Germany
- Departament of Biological SciencesGoethe University Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main Germany
| | - Irene M. A. Bender
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt (SBiK-F) Frankfurt am Main Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig Germany
- Institute of Biology, Geobotany and Botanical GardenMartin Luther University Halle‐Wittenberg Halle Germany
| | | | - Jürgen Homeier
- Albrecht von Haller Institute of Plant SciencesUniversity of Goettingen Goettingen Germany
| | - Katrin Böhning‐Gaese
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt (SBiK-F) Frankfurt am Main Germany
- Departament of Biological SciencesGoethe University Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main Germany
| | - Matthias Schleuning
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt (SBiK-F) Frankfurt am Main Germany
| | - Eike Lena Neuschulz
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt (SBiK-F) Frankfurt am Main Germany
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Klecka J, Hadrava J, Biella P, Akter A. Flower visitation by hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) in a temperate plant-pollinator network. PeerJ 2018; 6:e6025. [PMID: 30533311 PMCID: PMC6282941 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) are among the most important pollinators, although they attract less attention than bees. They are usually thought to be rather opportunistic flower visitors, although previous studied demonstrated that they show colour preferences and their nectar feeding is affected by morphological constraints related to flower morphology. Despite the growing appreciation of hoverflies and other non-bee insects as pollinators, there is a lack of community-wide studies of flower visitation by syrphids. The aim of this paper is to provide a detailed analysis of flower visitation patterns in a species rich community of syrphids in a Central European grassland and to evaluate how species traits shape the structure of the plant-hoverfly flower visitation network. We found that different species varied in the level of specialisation, and while some species visited a similar spectre of flowers, others partitioned resources more strongly. There was a consistent difference in both specialisation and flower preferences between three syrphid subfamilies. Eristalinae and Pipizinae were more specialised than Syrphinae. Trait-based analyses showed that relative flower visitation (i) increased with plant height, but most strongly in Eristalinae; (ii) increased with inflorescence size in small species from all three subfamilies, but was independent of inflorescence size in large species of Eristalinae and Syrphinae; and (iii) depended on flower colour, but in a subfamily-specific way. Eristalinae showed the strongest flower colour preferences for white flowers, Pipizinae visited mostly white and yellow flowers, while Syrphinae were less affected by flower colour. Exploration of the structure of the plant-hoverfly flower visitation network showed that the network was both modular and nested. We also found that there were almost no differences in specialisation and relative visitation frequency between males and females. Overall, we showed that flower visitation in syrphids was affected by phylogenetic relatedness, body size of syrphids and several plant traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Klecka
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Biology Centre, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Hadrava
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Biology Centre, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Paolo Biella
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Biology Centre, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Asma Akter
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Biology Centre, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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49
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Minoarivelo HO, Hui C. Alternative assembly processes from trait-mediated co-evolution in mutualistic communities. J Theor Biol 2018; 454:146-153. [PMID: 29885411 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2018.06.004] [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: 06/08/2017] [Revised: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Ecological and evolutionary dynamics observed in mutualistic communities can be shaped by several mechanisms, including ecological interactions and their co-evolutionary consequences. Here we explore how intra and interspecific competition, together with mutualistic interactions, can affect community assembly through their effects on adaptive diversification and the emergence of biodiversity. To capture both ecological and evolutionary processes simultaneously, we used the adaptive dynamics approach based on a Lotka-Volterra framework and simulated the ecological dynamics of populations as well as the evolutionary dynamics of phenotypic traits. Depending on the initial trait values, two possible alternative evolutionary regimes emerged: traits evolve towards either optimal utilization of environmental resources or maximizing the benefits from mutualistic interactions. Diversification and overall biodiversity are mostly driven by frequency-dependent competition, while mutualism plays an important role in enhancing ecosystem productivity and evolutionary stability. Because different initial trait values in a community can lead to alternative evolutionary regimes, species loss and biological invasions could not only alter ecological dynamics but also push the system onto an alternative successional climax or evolutionary end point. It thus becomes essential to clarify the past evolutionary dynamics so as to draw conclusions on key community assembly processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henintsoa O Minoarivelo
- Theoretical Ecology Group, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Matieland 7602, South Africa; Centre of Excellence in Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Wits University, Gauteng 2050, South Africa.
| | - Cang Hui
- Theoretical Ecology Group, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Matieland 7602, South Africa; Mathematical and Physical BioSciences, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Muizenberg 7945, South Africa
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50
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Rumeu B, Sheath DJ, Hawes JE, Ings TC. Zooming into plant-flower visitor networks: an individual trait-based approach. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5618. [PMID: 30245938 PMCID: PMC6147118 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how ecological communities are structured is a major goal in ecology. Ecological networks representing interaction patterns among species have become a powerful tool to capture the mechanisms underlying plant-animal assemblages. However, these networks largely do not account for inter-individual variability and thus may be limiting our development of a clear mechanistic understanding of community structure. In this study, we develop a new individual-trait based approach to examine the importance of individual plant and pollinator functional size traits (pollinator thorax width and plant nectar holder depth) in mutualistic networks. We performed hierarchical cluster analyses to group interacting individuals into classes, according to their similarity in functional size. We then compared the structure of bee-flower networks where nodes represented either species identity or trait sets. The individual trait-based network was almost twice as nested as its species-based equivalent and it had a more symmetric linkage pattern resulting from of a high degree of size-matching. In conclusion, we show that by constructing individual trait-based networks we can reveal important patterns otherwise difficult to observe in species-based networks and thus improve our understanding of community structure. We therefore recommend using both trait-based and species-based approaches together to develop a clearer understanding of the properties of ecological networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Rumeu
- Applied Ecology Research Group, Department of Biology, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Terrestrial Ecology Group, Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies (CSIC-UIB), Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
| | - Danny J Sheath
- Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph E Hawes
- Applied Ecology Research Group, Department of Biology, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas C Ings
- Applied Ecology Research Group, Department of Biology, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
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