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Tourbez C, Gómez-Martínez C, González-Estévez MÁ, Lázaro A. Pollen analysis reveals the effects of uncovered interactions, pollen-carrying structures, and pollinator sex on the structure of wild bee-plant networks. INSECT SCIENCE 2024; 31:971-988. [PMID: 37681316 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Pollination networks are increasingly used to model the complexity of interactions between pollinators and flowering plants in communities. Different methods exist to sample these interactions, with direct observations of plant-pollinator contacts in the field being by far the most common. Although the identification of pollen carried by pollinators allows uncovering interactions and increasing sample sizes, the methods used to build pollen-transport networks are variable and their effect on network structure remains unclear. To understand how interaction sampling influences the structure of networks, we analyzed the pollen found on wild bees from eight communities across Mallorca Island and investigated the differences in pollen loads between bee body parts (scopa vs. body) and sexes. We then assessed how these differences, as well as the uncovered interactions not detected in the field, influenced the structure of wild bee-plant networks. We identified a higher quantity and diversity of pollen in the scopa than in the rest of the female body, but these differences did not lead to differences in structure between plant-pollination (excluding scopa pollen) and bee-feeding interaction (including scopa pollen) networks. However, networks built with pollen data were richer in plant species and interactions and showed lower modularity and specialization (H2'), and higher nestedness than visitation networks based on field observations. Female interactions with plants were stronger compared to those of males, although not richer. Accordingly, females were more generalist (low d') and tended to be more central in interaction networks, indicating their more key role structuring pollination networks in comparison to males. Our study highlights the importance of palynological data to increase the resolution of networks, as well as to understand important ecological questions such as the differences between plant-pollination and bee-feeding interaction networks, and the role of sexes in pollination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clément Tourbez
- Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (UIB-CSIC), Global Change Research Group, Esporles, Balearic Islands, Spain
| | - Carmelo Gómez-Martínez
- Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (UIB-CSIC), Global Change Research Group, Esporles, Balearic Islands, Spain
| | - Miguel Ángel González-Estévez
- Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (UIB-CSIC), Global Change Research Group, Esporles, Balearic Islands, Spain
| | - Amparo Lázaro
- Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (UIB-CSIC), Global Change Research Group, Esporles, Balearic Islands, Spain
- Department of Biology, Ecology Area, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Spain
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2
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Gibson SD, Onuferko TM, Myers L, Colla SR. Determining the plant-pollinator network in a culturally significant food and medicine garden in the Great Lakes region. PeerJ 2024; 12:e17401. [PMID: 38799060 PMCID: PMC11127643 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding the interactions between plants and pollinators within a system can provide information about pollination requirements and the degree to which species contribute to floral reproductive success. Past research has focused largely on interactions within monocultured agricultural systems and only somewhat on wild pollination networks. This study focuses on the culturally significant Three Sisters Garden, which has been grown and tended by many Indigenous peoples for generations in the Great Lakes Region. Here, the plant-pollinator network of the traditional Three Sisters Garden with the inclusion of some additional culturally significant plants was mapped. Important visitors in this system included the common eastern bumble bee, Bombus impatiens Cresson (Hymenoptera: Apidae), and the hoary squash bee, Xenoglossa pruinosa (Say) (Hymenoptera: Apidae), as determined by their abundances and pollinator service index (PSI) values. Understanding the key pollinators in the Three Sisters Garden links biological diversity to cultural diversity through the pollination of culturally significant plants. Further, this information could be of use in supporting Indigenous food sovereignty by providing knowledge about which wild pollinators could be supported to increase fruit and seed set within the Three Sisters Garden. Our findings can also lead to more effective conservation of important wild pollinator species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelby D. Gibson
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Thomas M. Onuferko
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto, Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lisa Myers
- Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sheila R. Colla
- Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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3
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Neacă AM, Meis J, Knight T, Rakosy D. Intensive pasture management alters the composition and structure of plant-pollinator interactions in Sibiu, Romania. PeerJ 2024; 12:e16900. [PMID: 38435994 PMCID: PMC10909354 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Land management change towards intensive grazing has been shown to alter plant and pollinator communities and the structure of plant-pollinator interactions in different ways across the world. Land-use intensification in Eastern Europe is shifting highly diverse, traditionally managed hay meadows towards intensive pastures, but few studies have examined how this influences plant-pollinator networks. We hypothesized that the effects of intensive grazing on networks will depend on how plant communities and their floral traits change. Methods We investigated plant and pollinator diversity and composition and the structure of plant-pollinator interactions near Sibiu, Romania at sites that were traditionally managed as hay meadows or intensive pastures. We quantified the identity and abundance of flowering plants, and used transect walks to observe pollinator genera interacting with flowering plant species. We evaluated the effects of management on diversity, composition and several indices of network structure. Results Pollinator but not plant diversity declined in pastures and both plant and pollinator taxonomic composition shifted. Functional diversity and composition remained unchanged, with rather specialized flowers having been found to dominate in both hay meadows and pastures. Apis mellifera was found to be the most abundant pollinator. Its foraging preferences played a crucial role in shaping plant-pollinator network structure. Apis mellifera thus preferred the highly abundant Dorycnium herbaceum in hay meadows, leading to hay meadows networks with lower Shannon diversity and interaction evenness. In pastures, however, it preferred less abundant and more generalized flower resources. With pollinators being overall less abundant and more generalized in pastures, we found that niche overlap between plants was higher. Discussion With both hay meadows and pastures being dominated by plant species with similar floral traits, shifts in pollinator preferences seem to have driven the observed changes in plant-pollinator interaction networks. We thus conclude that the effects of grazing on pollinators and their interactions are likely to depend on the traits of plant species present in different management types as well as on the effects of grazing on plant community composition. We thereby highlight the need for better understanding how floral abundance shapes pollinator visitation rates and how floral traits may influence this relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana-Maria Neacă
- Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Julia Meis
- Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tiffany Knight
- Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
- Department Species Interaction Ecology, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department Species Interaction Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Demetra Rakosy
- Department Species Interaction Ecology, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department Species Interaction Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
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4
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Layek U, Das AD, Das U, Karmakar P. Spatial and Temporal Variations in Richness, Diversity and Abundance of Floral Visitors of Curry Plants ( Bergera koenigii L.): Insights on Plant-Pollinator Interactions. INSECTS 2024; 15:83. [PMID: 38392503 PMCID: PMC10889569 DOI: 10.3390/insects15020083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
The reproductive success of flowering plants relates to flower-visitor communities and plant-pollinator interactions. These traits are species- and region-specific and vary across regions, pollinator groups, and plant species. However, little literature exists on the spatiotemporal variation in visitor activity, especially in India. Here, we aimed to depict the spatial and temporal variation in visitor activity on the curry plants (Bergera koenigii). Data were collected at different daytime slots from three vegetation zones (confirmed by field surveys and normalized difference vegetation index values in remote sensing)-dense, medium-density, and low-density vegetation in West Bengal, India. The visitors' richness, diversity, and abundance were higher in the area with dense vegetation. Considering daytime patterns, higher values for these parameters were obtained during 10.00-14.00 h. For most visitors, the flower handling time was shorter, and the visitation rate was higher in dense vegetation areas (at 10.00-14.00 h) than in medium- and low-density vegetation areas. The proportions of different foraging categories varied over time. Vital pollinators were Apis cerana, Apis dorsata, Appias libythea, Halictus acrocephalus, Nomia iridescens, and Tetragonula iridipennis. However, the effectiveness of pollinators remained region-specific. Therefore, it can be concluded that floral visitors' richness, diversity, abundance, and plant-visitor interactions varied spatially with their surrounding vegetation types and also changed daytime-wise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ujjwal Layek
- Department of Botany, Rampurhat College, Rampurhat 731224, India
| | - Anirban Deep Das
- Department of Botany, Rampurhat College, Rampurhat 731224, India
| | - Uday Das
- Department of Botany, Rampurhat College, Rampurhat 731224, India
| | - Prakash Karmakar
- Department of Botany & Forestry, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore 721102, India
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5
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Bellekom B, Lewis OT, Hackett TD. Latitudinal and anthropogenic effects on the structuring of networks linking blood-feeding flies and their vertebrate hosts. MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 37:675-682. [PMID: 37261902 PMCID: PMC10946476 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Biting flies (Diptera) transmit pathogens that cause many important diseases in humans as well as domestic and wild animals. The networks of feeding interactions linking these insects to their hosts, and how they vary geographically and in response to human land-use, are currently poorly documented but are relevant to understanding cross-species disease transmission. We compiled a database of biting Diptera-host interactions from the literature to investigate how key interaction network metrics vary latitudinally and with human land-use. Interaction evenness and H2' (a measure of the degree of network specificity) did not vary significantly with latitude. Compared to near-natural habitats, interaction evenness was significantly lower in agricultural habitats, where networks were dominated by relatively few species pairs, but there was no evidence that the presence of humans and their domesticated animals within networks led to systematic shifts in network structure. We discuss the epidemiological relevance of these results and the implications for predicting and mitigating future spill-over events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Bellekom
- Department of BiologyUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
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6
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Tommasi N, Biella P, Maggioni D, Fallati L, Agostinetto G, Labra M, Galli P, Galimberti A. DNA metabarcoding unveils the effects of habitat fragmentation on pollinator diversity, plant-pollinator interactions, and pollination efficiency in Maldive islands. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:6394-6404. [PMID: 35651283 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Habitat fragmentation affects biodiversity, but with unclear effects on pollinators and their interactions with plants in anthropized landscapes. Islands could serve as open air laboratories, suitable to disentangle how land-use alteration impacts pollination ecology. In Maldive islands we investigated how pollinator richness, plant-pollinator interactions and pollination efficiency are influenced by the green area fragmentation (i.e., gardens and semi-natural patches). Moreover, we considered the mediating role of pollinator body size and the plant trait of being invasive in shaping interactions. To do this, we surveyed pollinator insects from 11 islands representing a gradient of green area fragmentation. A DNA metabarcoding approach was adopted to identify the pollen transported by pollinators and characterize the plant-pollinator interactions. We found that intermediate levels of green area fragmentation characterized pollinator communities and increased their species richness, while decreasing interaction network complexity. Invasive plants were more frequently found on pollinator bodies than native or exotic noninvasive ones, indicating a concerningly higher potential for pollen dispersal and reproduction of the former ones. Intriguingly, pollinator body size mediated the effect of landscape alteration on interactions, as only the largest bees expanded the foraging diet in terms of plant richness in the transported pollen at increasing fragmentation. In parallel, the pollination efficiency increased with pollinator species richness in two sentinel plants. This study shows that moderate landscape fragmentation of green areas shapes many aspects of the pollination ecosystem service, where despite interactions being less complex and mediated by pollinator body size, pollinator insect biodiversity and potential plant reproduction are supported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Tommasi
- ZooplantLab, Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- INFN Sezione Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Biella
- ZooplantLab, Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Davide Maggioni
- Earth and Environmental Science Department, University of Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- MaRHE Center (Marine Research and High Education Center), Magoodhoo, Maldives
| | - Luca Fallati
- Earth and Environmental Science Department, University of Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- MaRHE Center (Marine Research and High Education Center), Magoodhoo, Maldives
| | - Giulia Agostinetto
- ZooplantLab, Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Labra
- ZooplantLab, Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- INFN Sezione Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Galli
- Earth and Environmental Science Department, University of Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- MaRHE Center (Marine Research and High Education Center), Magoodhoo, Maldives
| | - Andrea Galimberti
- ZooplantLab, Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- INFN Sezione Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy
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7
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Song C, Simmons BI, Fortin MJ, Gonzalez A, Kaiser-Bunbury CN, Saavedra S. Rapid monitoring of ecological persistence. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2211288120. [PMID: 37155860 PMCID: PMC10194002 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2211288120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Effective conservation of ecological communities requires accurate and up-to-date information about whether species are persisting or declining to extinction. The persistence of an ecological community is supported by its underlying network of species interactions. While the persistence of the network supporting the whole community is the most relevant scale for conservation, in practice, only small subsets of these networks can be monitored. There is therefore an urgent need to establish links between the small snapshots of data conservationists can collect, and the "big picture" conclusions about ecosystem health demanded by policymakers, scientists, and societies. Here, we show that the persistence of small subnetworks (motifs) in isolation-that is, their persistence when considered separately from the larger network of which they are a part-is a reliable probabilistic indicator of the persistence of the network as a whole. Our methods show that it is easier to detect if an ecological community is not persistent than if it is persistent, allowing for rapid detection of extinction risk in endangered systems. Our results also justify the common practice of predicting ecological persistence from incomplete surveys by simulating the population dynamics of sampled subnetworks. Empirically, we show that our theoretical predictions are supported by data on invaded networks in restored and unrestored areas, even in the presence of environmental variability. Our work suggests that coordinated action to aggregate information from incomplete sampling can provide a means to rapidly assess the persistence of entire ecological networks and the expected success of restoration strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuliang Song
- Department of Biology, Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science, McGill University, Montreal, QCH3A 0G4, Canada
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ONM5S 3B2, Canada
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544
| | - Benno I. Simmons
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, PenrynTR10 9FE, United Kingdom
| | - Marie-Josée Fortin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ONM5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Andrew Gonzalez
- Department of Biology, Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science, McGill University, Montreal, QCH3A 0G4, Canada
| | | | - Serguei Saavedra
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA02138
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The degree of urbanisation reduces wild bee and butterfly diversity and alters the patterns of flower-visitation in urban dry grasslands. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2702. [PMID: 36792660 PMCID: PMC9932066 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29275-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Insect-provided pollination services are increasingly threatened due to alarming declines in insect pollinator populations. One of the main threats to insect pollinators and consequently pollination is urbanisation. Here, we investigate the effects of local habitat quality (patch size, flowering plant richness, bare soil cover, vegetation structure), degree of urbanisation (impervious surfaces) and 3D connectivity on bee, hoverfly and butterfly flower visitors and plant-flower visitor networks in flower-rich urban dry grasslands. Overall, the degree of urbanisation and the quality of the local habitat influenced the flowering plant and pollinator communities. Although flowering plant abundance increased with urbanisation, bee species richness and butterfly species richness decreased with increasing impervious surfaces. Flowering plant richness and ground nesting resource availability were positively related to bee richness and local vegetation structure boosted hoverfly and butterfly visitation rates. In terms of plant-pollinator interactions, insect pollinators visited a lower proportion of the available flowering plants in more urbanised areas and network modularity and specialisation increased with patch size. Our findings show that urban dry grasslands are valuable habitats for species-rich pollinator communities and further highlight the importance of minimizing the intensity of urbanisation and the potential of local management practices to support insect biodiversity in cities.
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Minachilis K, Kantsa A, Devalez J, Vujic A, Pauly A, Petanidou T. High species turnover and unique plant-pollinator interactions make a hyperdiverse mountain. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:1001-1015. [PMID: 36754546 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
We studied α- and β-diversity of pollinators, flowering plants and plant-pollinator interactions along the altitudinal gradient of Mt. Olympus, a legendary mountain and biodiversity hotspot in Central Greece. We explored 10 study sites located on the north-eastern slope of the mountain, from 327 to 2596 m a.s.l. Insect surveys were conducted once a month using hand netting (years 2013, 2014 and 2016), and they were combined with recordings of flowering plant diversity (species richness and flower cover). We then calculated α- and β-diversity of pollinators, plants in flower and plant-pollinator interactions, and explored their demographic response along the altitudinal gradient. Alpha diversity of pollinators, plants and plant-pollinator interactions were altitude dependent; α-diversity of all pollinators, bees, non-bumblebee bees, bee flies and butterflies showed linear declines with altitude, whereas those of hoverflies and bumblebees showed unimodal patterns. Beta diversity and its turnover component of all pollinators, hoverflies, bees, bumblebees, non-bumblebee bees, butterflies and plants showed linear increases, whereas those of bee flies and of plant-pollinator interactions varied independently from the pairwise altitudinal difference. The high dissimilarity and uniqueness of pollination networks, which is probably a result of the high biodiversity and endemism of Mt. Olympus, is driven by species turnover and the formation of new interactions between new species. Contrasting to the monotonic decline of the remaining groups, the unimodal patterns of hoverfly and bumblebee α-diversity are probably the effect of a higher tolerance of these groups to high-altitude environmental conditions. Our findings highlight that the high turnover of species and of pollination interactions along the altitudinal gradient are the mainstay of hyperdiverse mountains, a fact that conveys important historical, ecological and conservational implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Minachilis
- Laboratory of Biogeography and Ecology, Department of Geography, University of the Aegean, Mytilene, Greece
| | - Aphrodite Kantsa
- Laboratory of Biogeography and Ecology, Department of Geography, University of the Aegean, Mytilene, Greece.,Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Jelle Devalez
- Laboratory of Biogeography and Ecology, Department of Geography, University of the Aegean, Mytilene, Greece
| | - Ante Vujic
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Alain Pauly
- Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, O.D. Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Theodora Petanidou
- Laboratory of Biogeography and Ecology, Department of Geography, University of the Aegean, Mytilene, Greece
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Escobedo-Kenefic N, Casiá-Ajché QB, Cardona E, Escobar-González D, Mejía-Coroy A, Enríquez E, Landaverde-González P. Landscape or local? Distinct responses of flower visitor diversity and interaction networks to different land use scales in agricultural tropical highlands. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2022.974215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Land use change has been identified as a cause for biodiversity loss and has significant effects on pollinators and their interactions with plants. Interaction network analyses complement diversity estimators by providing information on the stability and functionality of the plant-pollinator community in an ecosystem. However, how land use changes affect insect diversity, and the structure of their plant-insect interaction networks, could depend on the intensity of the disturbance but also may be a matter of scale. Our study was carried out in a tropical highland landscape dominated by intense, yet diverse, small-scale agriculture. We studied the effects of land use, at a landscape scale, and local cover and plant ecological descriptors, at a local scale; on diversity descriptors of insect pollinator communities, the abundance of the most frequent flower visitors, and their interaction networks. Seminatural vegetation favored insect flower visitors at both scales. At the landscape scale, human settlements positively influenced bee diversity, and seminatural areas favored the abundance of frequent hoverfly and bumblebee species. At the local scale, bare soil cover negatively influenced honeybee abundance while flower-rich covers positively related to bumblebee abundance. Only local scale variables had influence on network metrics. Bare soil cover was related to higher network specialization, probably due to a low rate of honeybee interactions. Flower-rich covers negatively influenced network connectance but favored modularity. These results suggest that flower resources, provided by weed areas and flowering crops, promote a high rate of interactions between trophic levels and a non-random structure in the interaction networks that may be helping to sustain network stability. Our results highlight the role of seminatural vegetation, at both scales, in maintaining stable insect pollinator communities and interactions in heterogeneous agricultural landscapes of the tropics.
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11
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Carvalho C, Oliveira A, Caeiro E, Miralto O, Parrinha M, Sampaio A, Silva C, Mira A, Salgueiro PA. Insect pollination services in actively and spontaneously restored quarries converge differently to natural reference ecosystem. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 318:115450. [PMID: 35738124 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115450] [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: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Ecological restoration has the potential to accelerate the recovery of biodiversity and ecosystem services in degraded ecosystems. However, current research queries whether active restoration is necessary. We evaluated plant-pollinator networks during spring at replicated sites within an actively restored quarry, at abandoned quarries undergoing spontaneous restoration, and within a natural reference area, to compare pollinator community composition and function. Overall, we aimed to assess which approach is more effective in rehabilitating pollination networks. We found that while both approaches allowed for the restoration of pollination function, active restoration provided faster recovery: pollination network structure was more similar to the reference ecosystem after 20-30 years of active restoration, than 40 years of natural succession in spontaneously restored areas. Different restoration approaches sustained distinct pollinator communities providing a similar service in different areas: honey bees played an important role in the natural area, bumblebees in the abandoned quarries and wild bees in the restored sites, suggesting a possible conflict between diverse wild bee communities and honey bee homogenized pollinator communities. In quarries, flower resource availability and diversity influenced networks' structural properties by constraining species interactions and composition. In spontaneously restored areas a rich herbaceous layer of ruderal species from early successional stages buffered against the shortage of flower resources at critical periods. Active restoration, though effective, should include practices that consider wild bee communities and mitigate flower resource scarcity. The use of "bridging" plants that flower in different periods, should be considered in active restoration programs to enhance the pollinator community.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amália Oliveira
- UBC - Conservation Biology Lab, Portugal; MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, University of Évora, Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal; Department of Biology, University of Évora, Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal
| | - Elsa Caeiro
- MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, University of Évora, Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal; SPAIC - Portuguese Society of Allergology and Clinical Immunology, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Otília Miralto
- UBC - Conservation Biology Lab, Portugal; MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, University of Évora, Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal; Department of Biology, University of Évora, Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal
| | | | - Ana Sampaio
- UBC - Conservation Biology Lab, Portugal; MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, University of Évora, Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal; Department of Biology, University of Évora, Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal
| | - Carmo Silva
- UBC - Conservation Biology Lab, Portugal; MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, University of Évora, Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal; Department of Biology, University of Évora, Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal
| | - António Mira
- UBC - Conservation Biology Lab, Portugal; MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, University of Évora, Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal; Department of Biology, University of Évora, Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal
| | - Pedro A Salgueiro
- UBC - Conservation Biology Lab, Portugal; MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, University of Évora, Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal; Department of Biology, University of Évora, Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal
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12
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Costa A, Heleno R, Dufrene Y, Huckle E, Gabriel R, Harrison X, Schabo DG, Farwig N, Kaiser‐Bunbury CN. Seasonal variation in impact of non‐native species on tropical seed dispersal networks. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alba Costa
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Penryn United Kingdom
| | - Ruben Heleno
- Centre for Functional Ecology, TERRA Associated Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences University of Coimbra Coimbra Portugal
| | | | - Eleanor Huckle
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Penryn United Kingdom
| | - Ronny Gabriel
- Seychelles Parks and Gardens Authority Mahé Seychelles
| | - Xavier Harrison
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Penryn United Kingdom
| | - Dana G. Schabo
- Conservation Ecology, Department of Biology University of Marburg Germany
| | - Nina Farwig
- Conservation Ecology, Department of Biology University of Marburg Germany
| | - Christopher N. Kaiser‐Bunbury
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Penryn United Kingdom
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13
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Mubamba S, Nduna N, Siachoono S, Chibesa M, Phiri D, Chama L. Plant-frugivore networks are robust to species loss even in highly built-up urban ecosystems. Oecologia 2022; 199:637-648. [PMID: 35781743 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05213-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Animal seed dispersal processes are an important aspect of ecosystem services, as they shape the survival of seed dispersers and the balanced distribution of propagules for many plant communities. Several studies within tropical wild ecosystems have generally shown that seed dispersal processes are highly generalised and robust to extinction. Studies examining seed dispersal networks in highly built-up urban ecosystems and their robustness to species loss or extinction are rare. We examined avian seed dispersal networks across an urban ecosystem characterised by a high human settlement and infrastructure of the built environment in Zambia to determine their network specialisation, interaction evenness and interaction diversity, as these three parameters are critical in driving the resilience of these mutualisms' interactions against extinction. A total of 405 individuals representing 11 species of birds were observed and recorded feeding on a total of 11 focal fleshy-fruiting plant species. Network specialisation was generally low and remained similar across study areas. Interaction evenness and interaction diversity were not only high but also remained similar across study areas. Low specialisation and high interaction evenness and diversity show that mutualistic interactions in these networks are equally highly generalised, suggesting a stable and robust coexistence of species in plant-frugivore communities within urban ecosystems. Generally, our results seem to broadly suggest that opportunities for conservation still exist in these ecosystems provided urbanisation is accompanied by promoting either the management of remnant fruiting plants or the cultivation of new ones to support the avian communities existing in these areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saidy Mubamba
- Department of Zoology, Copperbelt University, Jambo Drive, Riverside, P.O. Box 21692, Kitwe, Zambia
| | - Norman Nduna
- Department of Zoology, Copperbelt University, Jambo Drive, Riverside, P.O. Box 21692, Kitwe, Zambia
| | - Stanford Siachoono
- Department of Zoology, Copperbelt University, Jambo Drive, Riverside, P.O. Box 21692, Kitwe, Zambia
| | - Moses Chibesa
- Department of Zoology, Copperbelt University, Jambo Drive, Riverside, P.O. Box 21692, Kitwe, Zambia
| | - Darius Phiri
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Copperbelt University, Jambo Drive, Riverside, P.O. Box 21692, Kitwe, Zambia
| | - Lackson Chama
- Department of Zoology, Copperbelt University, Jambo Drive, Riverside, P.O. Box 21692, Kitwe, Zambia.
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14
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Response of avian and mammal seed dispersal networks to human-induced forest edges in a sub-humid tropical forest. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467422000062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Species-rich ecosystems as tropical forests are extremely vulnerable to anthropogenic destruction. Most tropical plant species rely on animals to disperse their seeds. However, patterns of mutualistic interactions have rarely been explored, and seed dispersal networks are still poorly studied in Africa. Here, we examine how forest edges’ (FE) seed dispersal networks differ from the mature forest (MF) at a West African sub-humid tropical forest within the National Park of Cantanhez (Guinea-Bissau). Additionally, we explore species’ roles within the network. MF had higher fruit availability, more frugivore visitors, and plant–frugivore interactions. Network structure was quite similar between habitats, showing signs of redundancy, and some robustness to species’ extinction. FE was more nested, modular, and specialized, whereas MF had higher connectance, interaction evenness, and robustness to extinction. Most species were generalists, but large-bodied frugivores prevailed at MF. FE showed a higher vulnerability, mostly to the loss of trees. Trees are key, keeping the structure of both networks. Large-bodied frugivores and fruiting-tree species that work as network connectors should thus be the focus of active conservation management in these forests. Only viable populations of these species will ensure a good performance of the seed dispersal network, promoting the natural regeneration of the ecosystem.
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15
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Nandy G, Barman H, Pramanik S, Banerjee S, Aditya G. Land snail assemblages and microhabitat preferences in the urban areas of Kolkata, India. JOURNAL OF URBAN ECOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/jue/juac004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Due to the minimal dispersal capabilities and dependency on particular microhabitat, the land snails are susceptible to anthropogenic and natural disturbances. Considering the increasing anthropogenic threats, especially in urban areas, information on species’ requirements for particular habitat is very essential for land snail conservation and sustenance. In the present commentary, diversity and distribution of small-sized land snails in relation to their microhabitat preference in urban habitats of Kolkata, West Bengal, had been carried out through the quadrat method. The information on the richness and abundance of snails and their habitat places in Kolkata, India, was used to construct a bipartite network. A total of 13 land snail species were linked with 16 microhabitats. The network indices were used to justify the specialist or generalist nature of the snail species in the context of microhabitat preference. The snail species Succinea daucina and Allopeas gracile were observed to be associated with the maximum number of habitats while species strength was highest for S. daucina. The low value of connectance (0.288, <0.5) and niche overlap (0.34), the high value of specialization index H2′ (0.58) and d′ (0.44) indicate that the snail–microhabitat interactions were highly specialized. The network ecology of snail–microhabitats illustrated in the present instance will enable the identification of preferred microhabitats, which are required for the enhancement of the population of land snails in urban areas like Kolkata, India.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gargi Nandy
- Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata 700019, India
| | - Himangshu Barman
- Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata 700019, India
- Department of Zoology, Ramnagar College, Depal, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal 721453, India
| | - Soujita Pramanik
- Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata 700019, India
| | - Sampa Banerjee
- Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata 700019, India
| | - Gautam Aditya
- Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata 700019, India
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16
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Chmielewski MW, Eppley SM. Species-specific interactions in avian-bryophyte dispersal networks. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:211230. [PMID: 35116150 PMCID: PMC8767201 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Studies from seed plants have shown that animal dispersal fundamentally alters the success of plant dispersal, shaping community composition through time. Our understanding of this phenomenon in spore plants is comparatively limited. Though little is known about species-specific dispersal relationships between passerine birds and bryophytes, birds are particularly attractive as a potential bryophyte dispersal vector given their highly vagile nature as well as their association with bryophytes when foraging and building nests. We captured birds in Gifford Pinchot National Forest to sample their legs and tails for bryophyte propagules. We found 24 bryophyte species across 34 bird species. We examined the level of interaction specificity: (i) within the overall network to assess community level patterns; and (ii) at the plant species level to determine the effect of bird behaviour on network structure. We found that avian-bryophyte associations are constrained within the network, with species-specific and foraging guild effects on the variety of bryophytes found on bird species. Our findings suggest that diffuse bird-bryophyte dispersal networks are likely to be common in habitats where birds readily encounter bryophytes and that further work aimed at understanding individual bird-bryophyte species relationships may prove valuable in determining nuance within this newly described dispersal mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew W. Chmielewski
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, 1719 SW 10th Avenue, SRTC rm 246, Portland, OR 97201, USA
| | - Sarah M. Eppley
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, 1719 SW 10th Avenue, SRTC rm 246, Portland, OR 97201, USA
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17
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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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18
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Sampaio AD, Pereira PF, Nunes A, Clemente A, Salgueiro V, Silva C, Mira A, Branquinho C, Salgueiro PA. Bottom-up cascading effects of quarry revegetation deplete bird-mediated seed dispersal services. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 298:113472. [PMID: 34365186 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113472] [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: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Quarrying activities cause profound modifications on ecosystems, such as removal of vegetation cover, biodiversity loss and depletion of ecosystem services. Ecological restoration stands as a solution to revert such effects. Concomitantly, awareness is currently being given on ecosystem services and ecological processes to evaluate restoration efficiency. The objective of the study was to assess restoration success in a quarry subjected to restoration practices for the last 40 years involving the plantation of native Mediterranean vegetation and the non-native Aleppo pine Pinus halepensis. The study was carried out by assessing the effectiveness of seed dispersal service provided by birds in the restored quarry by comparing this service to neighbouring natural (shrubland) and other semi-natural areas (oak-pine mixed open and Aleppo pine forest) present at the landscape. For this purpose, we explored bird composition structure and seed dispersal networks using point counts and faecal samples of mist-netted birds. We also collected vegetation structure data and explored its effect on bird community composition. Our results showed that bird abundance in the restored quarry was significantly lower, and its bird community was compositionally different than natural shrubland and semi-natural areas. For instance, seed-dispersing birds, woody and shrub/ground foragers and partially migrators were the most affected groups at the restored area. Bird community composition and their traits were likely driven by vegetation characteristics, with higher native vegetation cover and fruit richness promoting higher bird abundance and Aleppo pine cover negatively influencing seed-dispersing birds. Concurrently, seed dispersal network in the restored quarry was less complex than in other areas. Seed dispersal services in the restored quarry were below the reported values for neighbouring natural and semi-natural areas and are likely driven by the low abundance of seed-dispersing birds. We consider that the causes affecting this group's low abundance can be related to revegetation measures favouring Aleppo pine, combined with a shallow soil depth and poor soil quality, which may have constrained native vegetation development. We conclude that seed dispersal services at the quarry are depleted, which may suggest a low restoration success concerning ecosystem functioning. Our results strengthen that quarry revegetation with non-native species must be avoided, since it alters bird community composition, and consequently, affects seed dispersal service provided by birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana D Sampaio
- UBC, Unidade de Biologia da Conservação, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554, Évora, Portugal; MED, Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development. University of Évora. Pólo da Mitra, Apartado 94, 7006-554, Évora, Portugal.
| | - Pedro F Pereira
- MED, Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development. University of Évora. Pólo da Mitra, Apartado 94, 7006-554, Évora, Portugal
| | - Alice Nunes
- cE3c, Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, C2, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Adelaide Clemente
- cE3c, Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, C2, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Vânia Salgueiro
- UBC, Unidade de Biologia da Conservação, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554, Évora, Portugal
| | - Carmo Silva
- UBC, Unidade de Biologia da Conservação, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554, Évora, Portugal; MED, Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development. University of Évora. Pólo da Mitra, Apartado 94, 7006-554, Évora, Portugal
| | - António Mira
- UBC, Unidade de Biologia da Conservação, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554, Évora, Portugal; MED, Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development. University of Évora. Pólo da Mitra, Apartado 94, 7006-554, Évora, Portugal
| | - Cristina Branquinho
- cE3c, Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, C2, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Pedro A Salgueiro
- UBC, Unidade de Biologia da Conservação, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554, Évora, Portugal; MED, Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development. University of Évora. Pólo da Mitra, Apartado 94, 7006-554, Évora, Portugal
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Fantinato E, Sonkoly J, Török P, Buffa G. Patterns of pollination interactions at the community level are related to the type and quantity of floral resources. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Edy Fantinato
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics University Ca' Foscari of Venice Venice Italy
| | - Judit Sonkoly
- Department of Ecology University of Debrecen Debrecen Hungary
- MTA‐DE Lendület Functional and Restoration Ecology Research Group Debrecen Hungary
| | - Péter Török
- Department of Ecology University of Debrecen Debrecen Hungary
- MTA‐DE Lendület Functional and Restoration Ecology Research Group Debrecen Hungary
- Polish Academy of Sciences Botanical Garden ‐ Center for Biological Diversity Conservation in Powsin Warszawa Poland
| | - Gabriella Buffa
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics University Ca' Foscari of Venice Venice Italy
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20
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Borchardt KE, Morales CL, Aizen MA, Toth AL. Plant-pollinator conservation from the perspective of systems-ecology. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 47:154-161. [PMID: 34325080 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2021.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Ecosystems are interconnected and complex, but conservation has often focused on rehabilitating individual species. A systems-ecology approach aims to support overall structure and maintain functions of the whole ecosystem, and may be especially pertinent for mutualistic plant-pollinator communities. This approach focuses on species interactions as the units to be conserved within the larger ecosystem. Analyzing species interactions is a more holistic approach because it incorporates a broader web of organisms, and considers the plethora of potential indirect influences from interacting partners. In this article, we suggest pollinator researchers focus on plant-pollinator networks to inform conservation programs and best support the coexistence of pollinators and plants within natural and agricultural systems. We propose that a system-ecology perspective is the most promising way to simultaneously improve pollinator conservation, agricultural sustainability, and human well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate E Borchardt
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
| | - Carolina L Morales
- Grupo de Ecología de la Polinización, INIBIOMA, Universidad Nacional del Comahue-CONICET, Bariloche, Río Negro, 8400, Argentina
| | - Marcelo A Aizen
- Grupo de Ecología de la Polinización, INIBIOMA, Universidad Nacional del Comahue-CONICET, Bariloche, Río Negro, 8400, Argentina; Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, 14193, Berlin, Germany
| | - Amy L Toth
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA; Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.
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21
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Deprá MS, Evans DM, Gaglianone MC. Pioneer herbaceous plants contribute to the restoration of pollination interactions in restinga habitats in tropical Atlantic Forest. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13544] [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)
- Mariana Scaramussa Deprá
- Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro Avenida Alberto Lamego, 2000 Campos dos Goytacazes Rio de Janeiro CEP 28013‐602 Brazil
| | - Darren Mark Evans
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Newcastle University Agriculture Building, King's Road Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU U.K
| | - Maria Cristina Gaglianone
- Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro Avenida Alberto Lamego, 2000 Campos dos Goytacazes Rio de Janeiro CEP 28013‐602 Brazil
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22
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Crespo A, Aguilar JM, Pintado K, Tinoco BA. Key plant species to restore plant–hummingbird pollinator communities in the southern Andes of Ecuador. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Crespo
- Laboratorio de Plantas Nativas Universidad del Azuay Av. 24 de Mayo 7‐77 y Hernán Malo Cuenca Ecuador
- Escuela de Biología Universidad del Azuay Av. 24 de Mayo 7‐77 y Hernán Malo Cuenca Ecuador
| | - Juan Manuel Aguilar
- Departamento de Posgrados Universidad del Azuay Av. 24 de Mayo 7‐77 y Hernán Malo Cuenca Ecuador
| | - Karla Pintado
- Institute of Forest Management Technische Universität München 85354 Freising Germany
| | - Boris A. Tinoco
- Escuela de Biología Universidad del Azuay Av. 24 de Mayo 7‐77 y Hernán Malo Cuenca Ecuador
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23
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Pocock MJO, Schmucki R, Bohan DA. Inferring species interactions from ecological survey data: A mechanistic approach to predict quantitative food webs of seed feeding by carabid beetles. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:12858-12871. [PMID: 34594544 PMCID: PMC8462163 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological networks are valuable for ecosystem analysis but their use is often limited by a lack of data because many types of ecological interaction, for example, predation, are short-lived and difficult to observe or detect. While there are different methods for inferring the presence of interactions, they have rarely been used to predict the interaction strengths that are required to construct weighted, or quantitative, ecological networks.Here, we develop a trait-based approach suitable for inferring weighted networks, that is, with varying interaction strengths. We developed the method for seed-feeding carabid ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) although the principles can be applied to other species and types of interaction.Using existing literature data from experimental seed-feeding trials, we predicted a per-individual interaction cost index based on carabid and seed size. This was scaled up to the population level to create inferred weighted networks using the abundance of carabids and seeds from empirical samples and energetic intake rates of carabids from the literature. From these weighted networks, we also derived a novel measure of expected predation pressure per seed type per network.This method was applied to existing ecological survey data from 255 arable fields with carabid data from pitfall traps and plant seeds from seed rain traps. Analysis of these inferred networks led to testable hypotheses about how network structure and predation pressure varied among fields.Inferred networks are valuable because (a) they provide null models for the structuring of food webs to test against empirical species interaction data, for example, DNA analysis of carabid gut regurgitates and (b) they allow weighted networks to be constructed whenever we can estimate interactions between species and have ecological census data available. This permits ecological network analysis even at times and in places when interactions were not directly assessed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Reto Schmucki
- UK Centre for Ecology & HydrologyWallingford, OxfordshireUK
| | - David A. Bohan
- Agroécologie, AgroSup DijonINRAE, Université de Bourgogne Franche‐ComtéDijonFrance
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24
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McLeod AM, Leroux SJ. Incongruent drivers of network, species and interaction persistence in food webs. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anne M. McLeod
- Dept of Biology, Memorial Univ. of Newfoundland St John's NL Canada
| | - Shawn J. Leroux
- Dept of Biology, Memorial Univ. of Newfoundland St John's NL Canada
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25
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Raiol RL, Gastauer M, Campbell AJ, Borges RC, Awade M, Giannini TC. Specialist Bee Species Are Larger and Less Phylogenetically Distinct Than Generalists in Tropical Plant–Bee Interaction Networks. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.699649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bee pollinators are key components of terrestrial ecosystems. Evidence is mounting that bees are globally in decline, and species with a higher degree of specialization are the most vulnerable to local extinction. However, ecological features that could explain bee specialization remain poorly tested, especially in tropical species. Here, we aim to determine the most specialized bee species and their associated ecological traits in tropical plant–bee interaction networks, answering three questions: (1) Which bees in the interaction networks are specialists? (2) Is body size related to their role as specialists in interaction networks? (3) Are there phylogenetic relationships between the bee species identified as specialists? We used fifteen quantitative plant–bee interaction networks from different Brazilian biomes covering 1,702 interactions (386 bee and 717 plant species). We used the normalized degree (standardized number of partners) as a metric to determine trophic specialization of bee species. Body size was estimated by measuring intertegular distance (ITD), i.e., the distance between the bases of the wings on the thorax. Evolutionary distinctiveness (ED) was used to quantify species uniqueness, i.e., the singularity of species in the phylogenetic tree. Relationships between dietary specialism, ITD and ED were assessed using generalized linear models. We detected 34 specialist bee species (9% of total species), distributed in 13 genera, and four families. ITD and ED were important variables explaining the specialization of tropical bee species. Specialists were larger and less phylogenetically distinct than expected by chance. Based on a large data set covering some of the main tropical biomes, our results suggest that loss of specialist bees from Brazilian plant–bee networks could have deleterious consequences for native plant species preferentially pollinated by large-bodied bees. Moreover, by affecting more evolutionarily distinct species, i.e., those with fewer extant relatives, the loss of specialist bees will likely affect few clades but can result on considerable loss of evolutionary history and phylogenetic diversity in the Brazilian bee communities. The results are important for decision-making concerning conservation measures for these species and may also encourage the development of sustainable management techniques for bees.
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Beauchesne D, Cazelles K, Archambault P, Dee LE, Gravel D. On the sensitivity of food webs to multiple stressors. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:2219-2237. [PMID: 34288313 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Evaluating the effects of multiple stressors on ecosystems is becoming increasingly vital with global changes. The role of species interactions in propagating the effects of stressors, although widely acknowledged, has yet to be formally explored. Here, we conceptualise how stressors propagate through food webs and explore how they affect simulated three-species motifs and food webs of the Canadian St. Lawrence System. We find that overlooking species interactions invariably underestimate the effects of stressors, and that synergistic and antagonistic effects through food webs are prevalent. We also find that interaction type influences a species' susceptibility to stressors; species in omnivory and tri-trophic food chain interactions in particular are sensitive and prone to synergistic and antagonistic effects. Finally, we find that apex predators were negatively affected and mesopredators benefited from the effects of stressors due to their trophic position in the St. Lawrence System, but that species sensitivity is dependent on food web structure. In conceptualising the effects of multiple stressors on food webs, we bring theory closer to practice and show that considering the intricacies of ecological communities is key to assess the net effects of stressors on species.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Beauchesne
- Département de biologie, ArcticNet, Québec Océan, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.,Institut des sciences de la mer, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, QC, Canada
| | - Kevin Cazelles
- Department of Integrative Biology, University Of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Philippe Archambault
- Département de biologie, ArcticNet, Québec Océan, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Laura E Dee
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Dominique Gravel
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
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27
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Monteiro ECS, Pizo MA, Vancine MH, Ribeiro MC. Forest cover and connectivity have pervasive effects on the maintenance of evolutionary distinct interactions in seed dispersal networks. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erison C. S. Monteiro
- Depto de Biodiversidade, Inst. de Biociências, Univ. Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Rio Claro Brasil
| | - Marco A. Pizo
- Depto de Biodiversidade, Inst. de Biociências, Univ. Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Rio Claro Brasil
| | | | - Milton Cezar Ribeiro
- Depto de Biodiversidade, Inst. de Biociências, Univ. Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Rio Claro Brasil
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González‐Castro A, Morán‐López T, Nogales M, Traveset A. Changes in the structure of seed dispersal networks when including interaction outcomes from both plant and animal perspectives. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Aarón González‐Castro
- Canary Islands Ornithology and Natural History Group (GOHNIC) Tenerife Canary Islands Spain
- Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group (CSIC‐IPNA) Tenerife Canary Islands Spain
| | - Teresa Morán‐López
- Grupo de ecología cuantitativa, INIBIOMA‐CONICET San Carlos De Bariloche Rio Negro Argentina
| | - Manuel Nogales
- Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group (CSIC‐IPNA) Tenerife Canary Islands Spain
| | - Anna Traveset
- Global Change Research Group, Inst. Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats (CSIC‐UIB) Mallorca Balearic Islands Spain
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29
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Habitat Quality and Social Behavioral Association Network in a Wintering Waterbirds Community. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13116044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Migratory waterbirds concentrated in freshwater ecosystems in mosaic environments rely on quality habitats for overwintering. At West Dongting Lake National Nature Reserve (WDLNNR), China, land-use change and hydrology alternation are compounding factors that have affected important wintering areas for migratory waterbirds. Presently, changes in the hydrology and landscape have reshaped natural wintering habitats and their availability, though the impact of hydrological management on habitat selection of wintering waterbirds is largely unknown. In this study, we classified differentially managed habitats and calculated their area using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) to evaluate suitable habitat availability over the study period (2016–2017 and 2017–2018 wintering periods). We then used social behavioral association network (SBAN) model to compare habitat quality through species-species social interactions and species-habitat associations in lakes with different hydrological management. The results indicated that social interactions between and within species structured wintering waterbirds communities, which could be dominated by one or more species, while dominant species control the activities of other co-existing species. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests indicated significant differences in SBAN metrics between lakes (p = 0.0237) and habitat (p < 0.0001) levels. Specifically, lakes with managed hydrology were preferred by more species. The managed lakes had better habitat quality in terms of significantly higher habitat areas (p < 0.0001) and lower habitat transitions (p = 0.0113). Collectively, our findings suggest that proper hydrological management can provide continuous availability of quality habitats, especially mudflats and shallow waters, for a stable SBAN to ensure a wintering waterbirds community with more sympatric species in a dynamic environment.
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Campos‐Moreno DF, Dyer LA, Salcido D, Massad TJ, Pérez‐Lachaud G, Tepe EJ, Whitfield JB, Pozo C. Importance of interaction rewiring in determining spatial and temporal turnover of tritrophic (
Piper
‐caterpillar‐parasitoid) metanetworks in the Yucatán Península, México. Biotropica 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Diego F. Campos‐Moreno
- Departamento de Conservación de la Biodiversidad El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR) Chetumal Quintana Roo México
| | - Lee A. Dyer
- EECB and Biology Department University of Nevada, Reno Reno NV USA
| | - Danielle Salcido
- EECB and Biology Department University of Nevada, Reno Reno NV USA
| | - Tara Joy Massad
- Department of Scientific Services Gorongosa National Park Sofala Mozambique
| | - Gabriela Pérez‐Lachaud
- Departamento de Conservación de la Biodiversidad El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR) Chetumal Quintana Roo México
| | - Eric J. Tepe
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Cincinnati Cincinnati OH USA
| | | | - Carmen Pozo
- Departamento de Conservación de la Biodiversidad El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR) Chetumal Quintana Roo México
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31
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A half-day flowering pattern helps plants sharing pollinators in an oceanic island community. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467421000055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe temporal pattern of flower opening and closure is a feature of the biology of many plant species, particularly those inhabiting oceanic islands where flowering generally lasts for only a few hours per day. Additionally, flower visitors often seek different floral sources on a timely basis, thus the relative timing of interactions is central to their status in pollination competition, or in the facilitation of pollination among co-flowering plants sharing pollinators. However, few studies have examined the impacts of daily temporal variation in flowering patterns on the pollinator network and competition on a community scale. In order to examine whether the daily pattern of flower opening and closure can impose temporal dynamics on interspecific interactions within a single day, plant–pollinator interaction networks (AM subweb and PM subweb) were quantified, and the relevant interactions between the two subwebs were compared using the Bray–Curtis dissimilarity of visitation frequencies in an oceanic island community (Paracel Islands, South China Sea). The role of species within networks and its variation between two subwebs were assessed by calculating the species-level specialization and species strength of each plant and pollinator species. The quantitative plant–pollinator interaction dissimilarity between morning and afternoon subsets was 0.69, and this value dropped to 0.58 when considering plant species flowering throughout the day. In our study, this dissimilarity between the two subwebs might be explained by the morning peak activity rather than a preference for morning flowers. No significant differences were detected in the species-level specialization and species strength of plants flowering all day from morning to afternoon at the community level. The flower visitation rates of native honeybee Apis cerana were not significantly different between morning and afternoon for most of the whole-day flowering plants. However, plant species only flowering either in the morning or the afternoon differed in the rate of visitation by A. cerana. The analyses of variation in the visitation rates of pollinators shared by plants within a single day in the studied community suggest that daily structuring at a community level and half-day staggered flowering during the morning or afternoon might reduce competitive interactions in oceanic insular habitats.
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32
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Hinton CR, Peters VE. Plant species with the trait of continuous flowering do not hold core roles in a Neotropical lowland plant-pollinating insect network. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:2346-2359. [PMID: 33717460 PMCID: PMC7920781 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant-animal interaction science repeatedly finds that plant species differ by orders of magnitude in the number of interactions they support. The identification of plant species that play key structural roles in plant-animal networks is a global conservation priority; however, in hyperdiverse systems such as tropical forests, empirical datasets are scarce. Plant species with longer reproductive seasons are posited to support more interactions compared to plant species with shorter reproductive seasons but this hypothesis has not been evaluated for plant species with the longest reproductive season possible at the individual plant level, the continuous reproductive phenology. Resource predictability is also associated with promoting specialization, and therefore, continuous reproduction may instead favor specialist interactions. Here, we use quantitative pollinating insect-plant networks constructed from countryside habitat of the Tropical Wet forest Life Zone and modularity analysis to test whether plant species that share the trait of continuous flowering hold core roles in mutualistic networks. With a few exceptions, most plant species sampled within our network were assigned to the role of peripheral. All but one network had significantly high modularity scores and each continuous flowering plant species was in a different module. Our work reveals that the continuous flowering plant species differed in some networks in their topological role, and that more evidence was found for the phenology to support specialized subsets of interactions. Our findings suggest that the conservation of Neotropical pollinating insect communities may require planting species from each module rather than identifying and conserving network hubs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea R. Hinton
- Department of Biological SciencesEastern Kentucky UniversityRichmondKYUSA
| | - Valerie E. Peters
- Department of Biological SciencesEastern Kentucky UniversityRichmondKYUSA
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33
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Addo‐Fordjour P, Afram IS. Clearcutting and selective logging have inconsistent effects on liana diversity and abundance but not on liana–tree interaction networks. Biotropica 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Addo‐Fordjour
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology College of Science Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi Ghana
| | - Isaac Sarfo Afram
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology College of Science Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi Ghana
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34
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Gray C, Ma A, McLaughlin O, Petit S, Woodward G, Bohan DA. Ecological plasticity governs ecosystem services in multilayer networks. Commun Biol 2021; 4:75. [PMID: 33462363 PMCID: PMC7813848 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01547-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Agriculture is under pressure to achieve sustainable development goals for biodiversity and ecosystem services. Services in agro-ecosystems are typically driven by key species, and changes in the community composition and species abundance can have multifaceted effects. Assessment of individual services overlooks co-variance between different, but related, services coupled by a common group of species. This partial view ignores how effects propagate through an ecosystem. We conduct an analysis of 374 agricultural multilayer networks of two related services of weed seed regulation and gastropod mollusc predation delivered by carabid beetles. We found that weed seed regulation increased with the herbivore predation interaction frequency, computed from the network of trophic links between carabids and weed seeds in the herbivore layer. Weed seed regulation and herbivore interaction frequencies declined as the interaction frequencies between carabids and molluscs in the carnivore layer increased. This suggests that carabids can switch to gastropod predation with community change, and that link turnover rewires the herbivore and carnivore network layers affecting seed regulation. Our study reveals that ecosystem services are governed by ecological plasticity in structurally complex, multi-layer networks. Sustainable management therefore needs to go beyond the autecological approaches to ecosystem services that predominate, particularly in agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare Gray
- Queen Mary University of London, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
- Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park Campus, Imperial College London, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Athen Ma
- Queen Mary University of London, School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Orla McLaughlin
- Agroécologie, AgroSup Dijon, INRAe, Univ. Bourgogne, Univ. Bourgogne Franche-Comté, F-21000, Dijon, France
| | - Sandrine Petit
- Agroécologie, AgroSup Dijon, INRAe, Univ. Bourgogne, Univ. Bourgogne Franche-Comté, F-21000, Dijon, France
| | - Guy Woodward
- Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park Campus, Imperial College London, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7PY, UK
| | - David A Bohan
- Agroécologie, AgroSup Dijon, INRAe, Univ. Bourgogne, Univ. Bourgogne Franche-Comté, F-21000, Dijon, France.
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35
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Amplicon Sequencing-Based Bipartite Network Analysis Confirms a High Degree of Specialization and Modularity for Fungi and Prokaryotes in Deadwood. mSphere 2021; 6:6/1/e00856-20. [PMID: 33441408 PMCID: PMC7845612 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00856-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Deadwood is important for our forest ecosystems. It feeds and houses many organisms, e.g., fungi and prokaryotes, with many different species contributing to its decomposition and nutrient cycling. Fungi and prokaryotes are dominant colonizers of wood and mediate its decomposition. Much progress has been achieved to unravel these communities and link them to specific wood properties. However, comparative studies considering both groups of organisms and assessing their relationships to wood resources are largely missing. Bipartite interaction networks provide an opportunity to investigate this colonizer-resource relationship more in detail and aim to directly compare results between different biotic groups. The main questions were as follows. Are network structures reflecting the trophic relationship between fungal and prokaryotic colonizers and their resources? If so, do they reflect the critical role of these groups, especially that of fungi, during decomposition? We used amplicon sequencing data to analyze fungal and prokaryotic interaction networks from deadwood of 13 temperate tree species at an early to middle stage of decomposition. Several diversity- and specialization-related indices were determined and the observed network structures were related to intrinsic wood traits. We hypothesized nonrandom bipartite networks for both groups and a higher degree of specialization for fungi, as they are the key players in wood decomposition. The results reveal highly modular and specialized interaction networks for both groups of organisms, demonstrating that many fungi and prokaryotes are resource-specific colonizers. However, as the level of specialization of fungi significantly surpassed that of prokaryotes, our findings reflect the strong association between fungi and their host. Our novel approach shows that the application of bipartite interaction networks is a useful tool to explore, quantify, and compare the deadwood-colonizers relationship based on sequencing data. IMPORTANCE Deadwood is important for our forest ecosystems. It feeds and houses many organisms, e.g., fungi and prokaryotes, with many different species contributing to its decomposition and nutrient cycling. The aim of this study was to explore and quantify the relationship between these two main wood-inhabiting organism groups and their corresponding host trees. Two independent DNA-based amplicon sequencing data sets (fungi and prokaryotes) were analyzed via bipartite interaction networks. The links in the networks represent the interactions between the deadwood colonizers and their deadwood hosts. The networks allowed us to analyze whether many colonizing species interact mostly with a restricted number of deadwood tree species, so-called specialization. Our results demonstrate that many prokaryotes and fungi are resource-specific colonizers. The direct comparison between both groups revealed significantly higher specialization values for fungi, emphasizing their strong association to respective host trees, which reflects their dominant role in exploiting this resource.
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36
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Bellekom B, Hackett TD, Lewis OT. A Network Perspective on the Vectoring of Human Disease. Trends Parasitol 2021; 37:391-400. [PMID: 33419670 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2020.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Blood-sucking insects are important vectors of disease, with biting Diptera (flies) alone transmitting diseases that cause an estimated 700 000 human deaths a year. Insect vectors also bite nonhuman hosts, linking them into host-biting networks. While the major vectors of prominent diseases, such as malaria, yellow fever, dengue, and Zika, are intensively studied, there has been limited focus on the wider interactions of biting insects with nonhuman hosts. Drawing on network analysis and visualisation approaches from food-web ecology, we discuss the value of a network perspective for understanding host-insect-disease interactions, with a focus on Diptera vectors. Potential applications include highlighting pathways of disease transmission, highlighting reservoirs of infection, and identifying emerging and previously unrecognised vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Bellekom
- Department of Zoology, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK.
| | - Talya D Hackett
- Department of Zoology, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Owen T Lewis
- Department of Zoology, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
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37
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Local and Landscape Compositions Influence Stingless Bee Communities and Pollination Networks in Tropical Mixed Fruit Orchards, Thailand. DIVERSITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/d12120482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Stingless bees are vital pollinators for both wild and crop plants, yet their communities have been affected and altered by anthropogenic land-use change. Additionally, few studies have directly addressed the consequences of land-use change for meliponines, and knowledge on how their communities change across gradients in surrounding landscape cover remains scarce. Here, we examine both how local and landscape-level compositions as well as forest proximity affect both meliponine species richness and abundance together with pollination networks across 30 mixed fruit orchards in Southern Thailand. The results reveal that most landscape-level factors significantly influenced both stingless bee richness and abundance. Surrounding forest cover has a strong positive direct effect on both factors, while agricultural and urbanized cover generally reduced both bee abundance and diversity. In the local habitat, there is a significant interaction between orchard size and floral richness with stingless bee richness. We also found that pollinator specialization in pollination networks decreased when the distance to the forest patch increased. Both local and landscape factors thus influenced meliponine assemblages, particularly the forest patches surrounding an orchard, which potentially act as a key reservoir for stingless bees and other pollinator taxa. Preservation of forest patches can protect the permanent nesting and foraging habitat of various pollinator taxa, resulting in high visitation for crop and wild plants.
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38
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Hemprich-Bennett DR, Oliveira HFM, Le Comber SC, Rossiter SJ, Clare EL. Assessing the impact of taxon resolution on network structure. Ecology 2020; 102:e03256. [PMID: 33226629 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Constructing ecological networks has become an indispensable approach in understanding how different taxa interact. However, the methods used to generate data in network research vary widely among studies, potentially limiting our ability to compare results meaningfully. In particular, methods of classifying nodes vary in their precision, likely altering the architecture of the network studied. For example, rather than being classified as Linnaean species, taxa are regularly assigned to morphospecies in observational studies, or to molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) in molecular studies, with the latter defined based on an arbitrary threshold of sequence similarity. Although the use of MOTUs in ecological networks holds great potential, especially for allowing rapid construction of large data sets of interactions, it is unclear how the choice of clustering threshold can influence the conclusions obtained. To test the impact of taxonomic precision on network architecture, we obtained and analyzed 16 data sets of ecological interactions, inferred from metabarcoding and observations. Our comparisons of networks constructed under a range of sequence thresholds for assigning taxa demonstrate that even small changes in node resolution can cause wide variation in almost all key metric values. Moreover, relative values of commonly used metrics such as robustness were seen to fluctuate continuously with node resolution, thereby potentially causing error in conclusions drawn when comparing multiple networks. In observational networks, we found that changing node resolution could, in some cases, lead to substantial changes to measurements of network topology. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of classifying nodes to the greatest precision possible, and demonstrate the need for caution when comparing networks that differ with respect to node resolution, even where taxonomic groups and interaction types are similar. In such cases, we recommend that comparisons of networks should focus on relative differences rather than absolute values between the networks studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- David R Hemprich-Bennett
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK.,Department of Zoology, Zoology Research and Administration Building, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Hernani F M Oliveira
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Steven C Le Comber
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Stephen J Rossiter
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Elizabeth L Clare
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
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39
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Simmons BI, Wauchope HS, Amano T, Dicks LV, Sutherland WJ, Dakos V. Estimating the risk of species interaction loss in mutualistic communities. PLoS Biol 2020; 18:e3000843. [PMID: 32866143 PMCID: PMC7485972 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Interactions between species generate the functions on which ecosystems and humans depend. However, we lack an understanding of the risk that interaction loss poses to ecological communities. Here, we quantify the risk of interaction loss for 4,330 species interactions from 41 empirical pollination and seed dispersal networks across 6 continents. We estimate risk as a function of interaction vulnerability to extinction (likelihood of loss) and contribution to network feasibility, a measure of how much an interaction helps a community tolerate environmental perturbations. Remarkably, we find that more vulnerable interactions have higher contributions to network feasibility. Furthermore, interactions tend to have more similar vulnerability and contribution to feasibility across networks than expected by chance, suggesting that vulnerability and feasibility contribution may be intrinsic properties of interactions, rather than only a function of ecological context. These results may provide a starting point for prioritising interactions for conservation in species interaction networks in the future. A study of 4,330 species interactions from 41 empirical pollination and seed dispersal networks across six continents reveals that species interactions which are most vulnerable to extinction are also the most important for ecological community stability; moreover, vulnerable interactions that are important for stability tend to be important and vulnerable wherever they occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benno I Simmons
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah S Wauchope
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Tatsuya Amano
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Lynn V Dicks
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
- Agroecology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - William J Sutherland
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Vasilis Dakos
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution (ISEM), CNRS, Univ Montpellier, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
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40
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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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41
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Minachilis K, Kantsa A, Devalez J, Trigas P, Tscheulin T, Petanidou T. Bumblebee diversity and pollination networks along the elevation gradient of Mount Olympus, Greece. DIVERS DISTRIB 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Minachilis
- Laboratory of Biogeography and Ecology Department of Geography University of the Aegean Mytilene Greece
| | - Aphrodite Kantsa
- Laboratory of Biogeography and Ecology Department of Geography University of the Aegean Mytilene Greece
- Department of Environmental Systems Science ETH Zürich Zürich Switzerland
| | - Jelle Devalez
- Laboratory of Biogeography and Ecology Department of Geography University of the Aegean Mytilene Greece
| | - Panayiotis Trigas
- Laboratory of Systematic Botany Faculty of Crop Science Agricultural University of Athens Athens Greece
| | - Thomas Tscheulin
- Laboratory of Biogeography and Ecology Department of Geography University of the Aegean Mytilene Greece
| | - Theodora Petanidou
- Laboratory of Biogeography and Ecology Department of Geography University of the Aegean Mytilene Greece
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42
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Escobedo-Kenefic N, Landaverde-González P, Theodorou P, Cardona E, Dardón MJ, Martínez O, Domínguez CA. Disentangling the effects of local resources, landscape heterogeneity and climatic seasonality on bee diversity and plant-pollinator networks in tropical highlands. Oecologia 2020; 194:333-344. [PMID: 32712873 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04715-8] [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: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Land-use alteration and climate seasonality have profound effects on bee species diversity by influencing the availability of nesting and floral resources. Here, using twelve sites embedded in an agriculture-forest mosaic in the tropical highlands of Guatemala, we investigated the relative effects of climate seasonality and landscape heterogeneity on bee and floral-resource community structure and on their mutualistic network architecture. We found that climate seasonality affected bee diversity, which was higher in the wet season and associated positively with the availability of floral resources across both seasons. Bee community composition also differed between seasons and it was mainly driven by floral-resource richness and the proportion of agricultural, semi-natural and forest cover. In addition to the effects on bee diversity, climate seasonality also affected flower-bee visitation networks. We documented higher relative (null model corrected) nestedness in the dry season compared to the wet season. Niche partitioning as a result of competition for scarce resources in the dry season could be the process driving the differences in the network structure between seasons. Furthermore, relative nestedness was consistently smaller than zero, and relative modularity and specialization were consistently larger than zero in both seasons, suggesting the existence of isolated groups of interacting partners in all our flower-bee visitation networks. Our results highlight the effect of climatic seasonality and the importance of preserving local floral resources and natural heterogeneous habitats for the conservation of bee communities and their pollination services in tropical highlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Escobedo-Kenefic
- Unidad para el Conocimiento, Uso y Valoración de la Biodiversidad, Centro de Estudios Conservacionistas-CECON-, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacia, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, Avenida La Reforma 0-63 zona 10, 01010, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala.,Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 70-275, 04510, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Patricia Landaverde-González
- Unidad para el Conocimiento, Uso y Valoración de la Biodiversidad, Centro de Estudios Conservacionistas-CECON-, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacia, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, Avenida La Reforma 0-63 zona 10, 01010, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala. .,General Zoology, Institute for Biology, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 8, 06120, Halle, Saale, Germany.
| | - Panagiotis Theodorou
- General Zoology, Institute for Biology, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 8, 06120, Halle, Saale, Germany.
| | - Edson Cardona
- Unidad para el Conocimiento, Uso y Valoración de la Biodiversidad, Centro de Estudios Conservacionistas-CECON-, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacia, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, Avenida La Reforma 0-63 zona 10, 01010, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
| | - María José Dardón
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-University of Berlin, Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Albrecht-Thaer-Weg 5, Berlin, D-14195, Germany
| | - Oscar Martínez
- Unidad para el Conocimiento, Uso y Valoración de la Biodiversidad, Centro de Estudios Conservacionistas-CECON-, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacia, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, Avenida La Reforma 0-63 zona 10, 01010, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala.,Departamento de Agricultura, Sociedad y Ambiente, El Colegio de La Frontera Sur, Carretera Panamericana y Periférico Sur s/n, Barrio María Auxiliadora, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, 29290, Chiapas, México
| | - César A Domínguez
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 70-275, 04510, Ciudad de México, México.
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Drivers of bat roles in Neotropical seed dispersal networks: abundance is more important than functional traits. Oecologia 2020; 193:189-198. [PMID: 32405932 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04662-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
While functional traits can facilitate or constrain interactions between pair of species in ecological communities, relative abundances regulate the probabilities of encounter among individuals. However, the relative importance of traits and relative abundances for the role species play in seed dispersion networks remains poorly explored. Here, we analyzed 20 Neotropical seed dispersal networks distributed from Mexico to southeastern Brazil to evaluate how relative abundance and functional traits influence bat species' roles in seed dispersal networks. We tested how bat relative abundance and traits relate to species contribution to between-module (c metric) and within-module connectivity (z metric) and their position and potential to mediate indirect effects between species (betweenness centrality). Our results indicate that relative abundance is the main determinant of the role bats play in the networks, while traits such as aspect ratio show modest yet statistically significant importance in predicting specific roles. Moreover, all seed dispersal networks presented two or three superabundant obligatory frugivore species that interacted with a high number of plants. The modest influence of the functional traits on species' roles is likely related to the low variation of morphological traits related to foraging ecology, which reduces the chances of morphological mismatching between consumers and resources in the system. In this scenario, abundant bats have higher chances of encountering resources and being capable of consuming them which leads such species to play critical roles in the community by acting as module hubs and network connectors.
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Mata L, Ramalho CE, Kennedy J, Parris KM, Valentine L, Miller M, Bekessy S, Hurley S, Cumpston Z. Bringing nature back into cities. PEOPLE AND NATURE 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Luis Mata
- Centre for Urban Research School of Global, Urban and Social Studies RMIT University Melbourne Vic. Australia
| | - Cristina E. Ramalho
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
| | - Jade Kennedy
- Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences The University of Wollongong Wollongong NSW Australia
| | - Kirsten M. Parris
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences The University of Melbourne Parkville Vic. Australia
| | - Leonie Valentine
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
| | - Maddison Miller
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Heritage Victoria East Melbourne Vic. Australia
| | - Sarah Bekessy
- Centre for Urban Research School of Global, Urban and Social Studies RMIT University Melbourne Vic. Australia
| | - Sarrah Hurley
- Centre for Urban Research School of Global, Urban and Social Studies RMIT University Melbourne Vic. Australia
| | - Zena Cumpston
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences The University of Melbourne Parkville Vic. Australia
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Renaud E, Baudry E, Bessa‐Gomes C. Influence of taxonomic resolution on mutualistic network properties. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:3248-3259. [PMID: 32273984 PMCID: PMC7140996 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecologists are increasingly interested in plant-pollinator networks that synthesize in a single object the species and the interactions linking them within their ecological context. Numerous indices have been developed to describe the structural properties and resilience of these networks, but currently, these indices are calculated for a network resolved to the species level, thus preventing the full exploitation of numerous datasets with a lower taxonomic resolution. Here, we used datasets from the literature to study whether taxonomic resolution has an impact on the properties of plant-pollinator networks.For a set of 41 plant-pollinator networks from the literature, we calculated nine network index values at three different taxonomic resolutions: species, genus, and family. We used nine common indices assessing the structural properties or resilience of networks: nestedness (estimated using the nestedness index based on overlap and decreasing fill [NODF], weighted NODF, discrepancy [BR], and spectral radius [SR]), connectance, modularity, robustness to species loss, motifs frequencies, and normalized degree.We observed that modifying the taxonomic resolution of these networks significantly changes the absolute values of the indices that describe their properties, except for the spectral radius and robustness. After the standardization of indices measuring nestedness with the Z-score, three indices-NODF, BR, and SR for binary matrices-are not significantly different at different taxonomic resolutions. Finally, the relative values of all indices are strongly conserved at different taxonomic resolutions.We conclude that it is possible to meaningfully estimate the properties of plant-pollinator interaction networks with a taxonomic resolution lower than the species level. We would advise using either the SR or robustness on untransformed data, or the NODF, discrepancy, or SR (for weighted networks only) on Z-scores. Additionally, connectance and modularity can be compared between low taxonomic resolution networks using the rank instead of the absolute values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estelle Renaud
- Ecologie Systématique EvolutionCNRSAgroParisTechUniversité Paris‐SaclayOrsayFrance
| | - Emmanuelle Baudry
- Ecologie Systématique EvolutionCNRSAgroParisTechUniversité Paris‐SaclayOrsayFrance
| | - Carmen Bessa‐Gomes
- Ecologie Systématique EvolutionCNRSAgroParisTechUniversité Paris‐SaclayOrsayFrance
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Saunders ME, Rader R. Network modularity influences plant reproduction in a mosaic tropical agroecosystem. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 286:20190296. [PMID: 30900537 PMCID: PMC6452072 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Biodiversity influences ecosystem function, but there is limited understanding of the mechanisms that support this relationship across different land use types in mosaic agroecosystems. Network approaches can help to understand how community structure influences ecosystem function across landscapes; however, in ecology, network analyses have largely focused on species–species interactions. Here, we use bipartite network analysis in a novel way: to link pollinator communities to sites in a tropical agricultural landscape. We used sentinel plants of Brassica rapa to examine how the structure of the community network influences plant reproduction. Diptera was the most common order of flower visitors at every site. Syrphidae visits were the strongest contributor to the number of fertilized pods, while visits by Syrphidae, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera had the strongest effect on the number of seeds per pod. Sentinel pots at forest sites were visited by more unique species (i.e. species with higher d′) than sites in other land uses, and dairy sites had more visitors that were common across the network. Participation coefficients, which indicate how connected a single node is across network modules, were strong predictors of ecosystem function: plant reproduction increased at sites with higher participation coefficients. Flower visitor taxa with higher participation coefficients also had the strongest effect on plant reproduction. Hymenoptera visits were the best predictor for participation coefficients but an Allograpta sp. (Diptera: Syrphidae) was the most influential flower visitor species in the landscape network. A diverse insect community contributed to plant reproduction and connection among nodes in this system. Identifying the ‘keystone’ flower visitor species and sites that have a strong influence on network structure is a significant step forward to inform conservation priorities and decision-making in diverse agroecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manu E Saunders
- 1 School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England , Armidale, New South Wales 2351 , Australia.,2 UNE Business School, University of New England , Armidale, New South Wales 2351 , Australia
| | - Romina Rader
- 1 School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England , Armidale, New South Wales 2351 , Australia
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Schneiberg I, Boscolo D, Devoto M, Marcilio-Silva V, Dalmaso CA, Ribeiro JW, Ribeiro MC, de Camargo Guaraldo A, Niebuhr BB, Varassin IG. Urbanization homogenizes the interactions of plant-frugivore bird networks. Urban Ecosyst 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-020-00927-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Abstract
We can think of forests as multiscale multispecies networks, constantly evolving toward a climax or potential natural community—the successional process-pattern of natural regeneration that exhibits sensitivity to initial conditions. This is why I look into forest succession in light of the Red Queen hypothesis and focus on the key aspects of ecological self-organisation: dynamical criticality, evolvability and intransitivity. The idea of the review is that forest climax should be associated with habitat dynamics driven by a large continuum of ecologically equivalent time scales, so that the same ecological conclusions could be drawn statistically from any scale. A synthesis of the literature is undertaken in order to (1) present the framework for assessing habitat dynamics and (2) present the types of successional trajectories based on tree regeneration mode in forest gaps. In general, there are four types of successional trajectories within the process-pattern of forest regeneration that exhibits sensitivity to initial conditions: advance reproduction specialists, advance reproduction generalists, early reproduction generalists and early reproduction specialists. A successional trajectory is an expression of a fractal connectivity among certain patterns of natural regeneration in the multiscale multispecies networks of landscape habitats. Theoretically, the organically derived measures of pattern diversity, integrity and complexity, determined by the rates of recruitment, growth and mortality of forest tree species, are the means to test the efficacy of specific interventions to avert the disturbance-related decline in forest regeneration. That is of relevance to the emerging field of biocomplexity research.
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50
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Siwicka E, Thrush SF, Hewitt JE. Linking changes in species-trait relationships and ecosystem function using a network analysis of traits. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 30:e02010. [PMID: 31556174 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Revised: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
A major challenge in ecology and environmental management is linking changes in community composition to ecosystem functions. We developed the network analysis of traits (NAT) to show changes in community network structure based on the changes in the composition and connectivity between clusters of species that share traits that imply shifts in functional diversity. We tested the application of NAT on a 113 species found on an intertidal sandflat that was subject to experimental nitrogen addition (control [0 g N/m2 ], medium [150 g N/m2 ], and high [600 g N/m2 ]). This allowed us to directly link mechanistic changes in community composition and function with the trait-space network patterns revealed by NAT. We demonstrate that under medium (150 g N/m2 ) N treatment, functional diversity remained consistent, whereas increasing disturbance to high (600 g N/m2 ) N treatment affected the species-trait network structure and caused merging of functional clusters implying a loss of functional trait diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Siwicka
- Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
| | - Simon F Thrush
- Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
| | - Judi E Hewitt
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), Hamilton, 3216, New Zealand
- Department of Statistics, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand
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