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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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Ballarin CS, Vizentin-Bugoni J, Hachuy-Filho L, Amorim FW. Imprints of indirect interactions on a resource-mediated ant-plant network across different levels of network organization. Oecologia 2024; 204:661-673. [PMID: 38448764 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05522-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Indirect interactions are pivotal in the evolution of interacting species and the assembly of populations and communities. Nevertheless, despite recently being investigated in plant-animal mutualism at the community level, indirect interactions have not been studied in resource-mediated mutualisms involving plant individuals that share different animal species as partners within a population (i.e., individual-based networks). Here, we analyzed an individual-based ant-plant network to evaluate how resource properties affect indirect interaction patterns and how changes in indirect links leave imprints in the network across multiple levels of network organization. Using complementary analytical approaches, we described the patterns of indirect interactions at the micro-, meso-, and macro-scale. We predicted that plants offering intermediate levels of nectar quantity and quality interact with more diverse ant assemblages. The increased number of ant species would cause a higher potential for indirect interactions in all scales evaluated. We found that nectar properties modified patterns of indirect interactions of plant individuals that share mutualistic partners, leaving imprints across different network scales. To our knowledge, this is the first study tracking indirect interactions in multiple scales within an individual-based network. We show that functional traits of interacting species, such as nectar properties, may lead to changes in indirect interactions, which could be tracked across different levels of the network organization evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caio S Ballarin
- Laboratório de Ecologia da Polinização e Interações, LEPI, Departamento de Biodiversidade e Bioestatística, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP), Rua Prof. Dr. Antonio Celso Wagner Zanin, Botucatu, São Paulo, CEP 18618-689, Brazil.
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Vegetal, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Botucatu, São Paulo, CEP 18618-689, Brazil.
| | - Jeferson Vizentin-Bugoni
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biodiversidade Animal, Departamento de Ecologia, Zoologia e Genética, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Campus Universitário, Capão do Leão, RS, CEP 96010-900, Brasil
| | - Leandro Hachuy-Filho
- Laboratório de Ecologia da Polinização e Interações, LEPI, Departamento de Biodiversidade e Bioestatística, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP), Rua Prof. Dr. Antonio Celso Wagner Zanin, Botucatu, São Paulo, CEP 18618-689, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Botucatu, São Paulo, CEP 18618-689, Brazil
| | - Felipe W Amorim
- Laboratório de Ecologia da Polinização e Interações, LEPI, Departamento de Biodiversidade e Bioestatística, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP), Rua Prof. Dr. Antonio Celso Wagner Zanin, Botucatu, São Paulo, CEP 18618-689, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Vegetal, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Botucatu, São Paulo, CEP 18618-689, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Botucatu, São Paulo, CEP 18618-689, Brazil
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3
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Cristóbal-Perez EJ, Barrantes G, Cascante-Marín A, Hanson P, Picado B, Gamboa-Barrantes N, Rojas-Malavasi G, Zumbado MA, Madrigal-Brenes R, Martén-Rodríguez S, Quesada M, Fuchs EJ. Elevational and seasonal patterns of plant pollinator networks in two highland tropical ecosystems in Costa Rica. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0295258. [PMID: 38206918 PMCID: PMC10783733 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Many plant species in high montane ecosystems rely on animal pollination for sexual reproduction, however, our understanding of plant-pollinator interactions in tropical montane habitats is still limited. We compared species diversity and composition of blooming plants and floral visitors, and the structure of plant-floral visitor networks between the Montane Forest and Paramo ecosystems in Costa Rica. We also studied the influence of seasonality on species composition and interaction structure. Given the severe climatic conditions experienced by organisms in habitats above treeline, we expected lower plant and insect richness, as well as less specialized and smaller pollination networks in the Paramo than in Montane Forest where climatic conditions are milder and understory plants are better protected. Accordingly, we found that blooming plants and floral visitor species richness was higher in the Montane Forest than in the Paramo, and in both ecosystems species richness of blooming plants and floral visitors was higher in the rainy season than in the dry season. Interaction networks in the Paramo were smaller and more nested, with lower levels of specialization and modularity than those in the Montane Forest, but there were no seasonal differences within either ecosystem. Beta diversity analyses indicate that differences between ecosystems are likely explained by species turnover, whereas within the Montane Forest differences between seasons are more likely explained by the rewiring of interactions. Results indicate that the decrease in species diversity with elevation affects network structure, increasing nestedness and reducing specialization and modularity.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Jacob Cristóbal-Perez
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ecología Tropical, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
- Laboratorio Nacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, México
- Laboratorio Binacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica, UNAM-UCR, México, Costa Rica
| | - Gilbert Barrantes
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ecología Tropical, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
- Laboratorio Binacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica, UNAM-UCR, México, Costa Rica
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Alfredo Cascante-Marín
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ecología Tropical, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
- Laboratorio Binacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica, UNAM-UCR, México, Costa Rica
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Paul Hanson
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ecología Tropical, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Beatriz Picado
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ecología Tropical, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Nicole Gamboa-Barrantes
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ecología Tropical, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Geovanna Rojas-Malavasi
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ecología Tropical, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Manuel A. Zumbado
- Investigador Colaborador, Museo de Zoología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Ruth Madrigal-Brenes
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ecología Tropical, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
- Laboratorio Binacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica, UNAM-UCR, México, Costa Rica
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Silvana Martén-Rodríguez
- Laboratorio Nacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, México
- Laboratorio Binacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica, UNAM-UCR, México, Costa Rica
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva de Plantas, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores–Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, México
| | - Mauricio Quesada
- Laboratorio Nacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, México
- Laboratorio Binacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica, UNAM-UCR, México, Costa Rica
| | - Eric J. Fuchs
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ecología Tropical, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
- Laboratorio Nacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, México
- Laboratorio Binacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica, UNAM-UCR, México, Costa Rica
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
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4
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Cantwell-Jones A, Tylianakis JM, Larson K, Gill RJ. Using individual-based trait frequency distributions to forecast plant-pollinator network responses to environmental change. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14368. [PMID: 38247047 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Determining how and why organisms interact is fundamental to understanding ecosystem responses to future environmental change. To assess the impact on plant-pollinator interactions, recent studies have examined how the effects of environmental change on individual interactions accumulate to generate species-level responses. Here, we review recent developments in using plant-pollinator networks of interacting individuals along with their functional traits, where individuals are nested within species nodes. We highlight how these individual-level, trait-based networks connect intraspecific trait variation (as frequency distributions of multiple traits) with dynamic responses within plant-pollinator communities. This approach can better explain interaction plasticity, and changes to interaction probabilities and network structure over spatiotemporal or other environmental gradients. We argue that only through appreciating such trait-based interaction plasticity can we accurately forecast the potential vulnerability of interactions to future environmental change. We follow this with general guidance on how future studies can collect and analyse high-resolution interaction and trait data, with the hope of improving predictions of future plant-pollinator network responses for targeted and effective conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aoife Cantwell-Jones
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Jason M Tylianakis
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Bioprotection Aotearoa, School of Biological Sciences, Private Bag 4800, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Keith Larson
- Climate Impacts Research Centre, Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Richard J Gill
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
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5
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Shelton WR, Mitchell RJ, Christopher DA, Jack LP, Karron JD. Among-individual variation in flowering phenology affects flowering synchrony and mating opportunity. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2024; 111:e16269. [PMID: 38126922 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE The timing and pattern of a plant's flowering can have important consequences for reproductive success. Variation in flowering phenology may influence the number of prospective mates, the risk of mating with lower quality individuals, and the likelihood of self-pollination. Here we use a common garden experiment to explore within- and among-population variation in phenology. Our work provides new insights into how flowering phenology shapes mating opportunity and flowering synchrony in a self-compatible perennial. METHODS To quantify variation in flowering phenology we raised progeny from nine populations of Mimulus ringens in a common garden. For each individual, we measured phenological traits including age at flowering onset, daily floral display size, total flower number, and flowering synchrony with other members of the population, and related these traits to mating opportunity. We also tested how individual flowering schedules influence the magnitude of synchrony. RESULTS Flowering phenology and synchrony varied substantially within and among populations. From day to day, plants often oscillated between large and small daily floral displays. Additionally, flowering schedules of individual plants strongly influenced flowering synchrony and, along with the number of flowering days, markedly affected plants' mating opportunity. CONCLUSIONS Phenological traits such as flowering synchrony can affect the quantity of mating opportunities and may be important targets of natural selection. Our results highlight the need for studies that quantify flowering patterns of individuals as well as populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy R Shelton
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53201, USA
| | | | - Dorothy A Christopher
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53201, USA
- Department of Biology, Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, Connecticut, 06810, USA
| | - Loretha P Jack
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53201, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Karron
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53201, USA
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6
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Gómez JM, González-Megías A, Armas C, Narbona E, Navarro L, Perfectti F. The role of phenotypic plasticity in shaping ecological networks. Ecol Lett 2023; 26 Suppl 1:S47-S61. [PMID: 37840020 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Plasticity-mediated changes in interaction dynamics and structure may scale up and affect the ecological network in which the plastic species are embedded. Despite their potential relevance for understanding the effects of plasticity on ecological communities, these effects have seldom been analysed. We argue here that, by boosting the magnitude of intra-individual phenotypic variation, plasticity may have three possible direct effects on the interactions that the plastic species maintains with other species in the community: may expand the interaction niche, may cause a shift from one interaction niche to another or may even cause the colonization of a new niche. The combined action of these three factors can scale to the community level and eventually expresses itself as a modification in the topology and functionality of the entire ecological network. We propose that this causal pathway can be more widespread than previously thought and may explain how interaction niches evolve quickly in response to rapid changes in environmental conditions. The implication of this idea is not solely eco-evolutionary but may also help to understand how ecological interactions rewire and evolve in response to global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- José M Gómez
- Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC), Almería, Spain
- Research Unit Modeling Nature, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Adela González-Megías
- Research Unit Modeling Nature, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
- Departamento de Zoología, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Cristina Armas
- Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC), Almería, Spain
| | - Eduardo Narbona
- Departamento de Biología Molecular e Ingeniería Bioquímica, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Luis Navarro
- Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ciencias del Suelo, Universidad de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
| | - Francisco Perfectti
- Research Unit Modeling Nature, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
- Departamento de Genética, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
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7
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Braun J, Lortie CJ. Drivers of plant individual-based pollinator visitation network topology in an arid ecosystem. ECOLOGICAL COMPLEXITY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecocom.2022.101003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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8
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Mendes SB, Timóteo S, Loureiro J, Castro S. The impact of habitat loss on pollination services for a threatened dune endemic plant. Oecologia 2021; 198:279-293. [PMID: 34775515 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-05070-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Habitat loss is currently a major threat to biodiversity, affecting species interactions, such as plant-pollinator interactions. This is particularly important in self-incompatible plants relying on pollinators to reproduce and sustain their populations. Here, we evaluated how habitat loss affects the pollination system, plant individual-pollinator species interaction network, and plant reproductive fitness of the self-incompatible Jasione maritima var. sabularia, a threatened taxon from dune systems. This plant is a pollinator generalist, visited by 108 species from distinct taxonomic groups. Results suggest that increasing habitat loss led to a significant decline in pollinator richness, increased pollen limitation, and a decrease in reproductive fitness of J. maritima var. sabularia. Visitation rate per individual did not significantly change with available area, indicating that the quality of pollen differed across populations. The topology of the network between J. maritima var. sabularia individuals and its pollinator species did not change, which may be attributed to the stability in the core of pollinator species. This suggests that the lower fitness of plants with increasing habitat degradation may be explained not only by the lower richness of peripheral pollinators but also by the genetic structure of the plant populations, as there is a possible higher transference of less quality pollen by pollinators, ultimately compromising the persistence of plant populations. Our study highlights the need of future studies to integrate the fine details provided by individual-level networks, which will increase our understanding of the pattern of species interactions and its consequences for the fitness of threatened plant populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Beatriz Mendes
- Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Sérgio Timóteo
- Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - João Loureiro
- Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Sílvia Castro
- Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
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9
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Xu X, Ren Z, Trunschke J, Kuppler J, Zhao Y, Knop E, Wang H. Bimodal activity of diurnal flower visitation at high elevation. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:13487-13500. [PMID: 34646485 PMCID: PMC8495799 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Successful pollination in animal-pollinated plants depends on the temporal overlap between flower presentation and pollinator foraging activity. Variation in the temporal dimension of plant-pollinator networks has been investigated intensely across flowering seasons. However, over the course of a day, the dynamics of plant-pollinator interactions may vary strongly due environmental fluctuations. It is usually assumed there is a unimodal, diurnal, activity pattern, while alternative multimodal types of activity patterns are often neglected and deserve greater investigation. Here, we quantified the daily activity pattern of flower visitors in two different habitats contrasting high elevation meadows versus forests in Southwest China to investigate the role of abiotic conditions in the temporal dynamics of plant-pollinator interactions. We examined diurnal activity patterns for the entire pollinator community. Pollinator groups may differ in their ability to adapt to habitats and abiotic conditions, which might be displayed in their patterns of activity. We hypothesized that (a) pollinator communities show multimodal activity patterns, (b) patterns differ between pollinator groups and habitat types, and (c) abiotic conditions explain observed activity patterns. In total, we collected 4,988 flower visitors belonging to six functional groups. There was a bimodal activity pattern when looking at the entire pollinator community and in five out of six flower visitor groups (exempting solitary bees) regardless of habitat types. Bumblebees, honeybees, dipterans, lepidopterans, and other insects showed activity peaks in the morning and afternoon, whereas solitary bees were most active at midday. Activity of all six pollinator groups increased as solar radiation increased and then decreased after reaching a certain threshold. Our findings suggest that in habitats at higher elevations, a bimodal activity pattern of flower visitation is commonly employed across most pollinator groups that are diurnal foragers. This pattern may be caused by insects avoiding overheating due to elevated temperatures when exposed to high solar radiation at midday.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Xu
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East AsiaKunming Institute of BotanyChinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Zong‐Xin Ren
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East AsiaKunming Institute of BotanyChinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Yunnan Lijiang Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research StationLijiangChina
| | - Judith Trunschke
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East AsiaKunming Institute of BotanyChinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
| | - Jonas Kuppler
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation GenomicsUlm UniversityUlmGermany
| | - Yan‐Hui Zhao
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East AsiaKunming Institute of BotanyChinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
| | - Eva Knop
- Agroecology and EnvironmentAgroscopeZürichSwitzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZürichZürichSwitzerland
| | - Hong Wang
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East AsiaKunming Institute of BotanyChinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
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10
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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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11
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Osuna-Mascaró C, Rubio de Casas R, Landis JB, Perfectti F. Genomic Resources for Erysimum spp. (Brassicaceae): Transcriptome and Chloroplast Genomes. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.620601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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12
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Soares NC, Maruyama PK, Staggemeier VG, Morellato LPC, Araújo MS. The role of individual variation in flowering and pollination in the reproductive success of a crepuscular buzz-pollinated plant. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2021; 127:213-222. [PMID: 32914162 PMCID: PMC7789112 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcaa163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Plant individuals within a population differ in their phenology and interactions with pollinators. However, it is still unknown how individual differences affect the reproductive success of plants that have functionally specialized pollination systems. Here, we evaluated whether plant individual specialization in phenology (temporal specialization) and in pollination (pollinator specialization) affect the reproductive success of the crepuscular-bee-pollinated plant Trembleya laniflora (Melastomataceae). METHODS We quantified flowering activity (amplitude, duration and overlap), plant-pollinator interactions (number of flowers visited by pollinators) and reproductive success (fruit set) of T. laniflora individuals from three distinct locations in rupestrian grasslands of southeastern Brazil. We estimated the degree of individual temporal specialization in flowering phenology and of individual specialization in plant-pollinator interactions, and tested their relationship with plant reproductive success. KEY RESULTS Trembleya laniflora presented overlapping flowering, a temporal generalization and specialized pollinator interactions. Flowering overlap among individuals and populations was higher than expected by chance but did not affect the individual interactions with pollinators and nor their reproductive success. In contrast, higher individual generalization in the interactions with pollinators was related to higher individual reproductive success. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that individual generalization in plant-pollinator interaction reduces the potential costs of specialization at the species level, ensuring reproductive success. Altogether, our results highlight the complexity of specialization/generalization of plant-pollinator interactions at distinct levels of organization, from individuals to populations, to species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Costa Soares
- Laboratório de Fenologia, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
| | - Pietro Kiyoshi Maruyama
- Centro de Síntese Ecológica e Conservação, Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Vanessa Graziele Staggemeier
- Laboratório de Fenologia, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
- Departamento de Ecologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - Leonor Patrícia Cerdeira Morellato
- Laboratório de Fenologia, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
| | - Márcio Silva Araújo
- Departamento de Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
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Guimarães PR. The Structure of Ecological Networks Across Levels of Organization. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2020. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-012220-120819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Interactions connect the units of ecological systems, forming networks. Individual-based networks characterize variation in niches among individuals within populations. These individual-based networks merge with each other, forming species-based networks and food webs that describe the architecture of ecological communities. Networks at broader spatiotemporal scales portray the structure of ecological interactions across landscapes and over macroevolutionary time. Here, I review the patterns observed in ecological networks across multiple levels of biological organization. A fundamental challenge is to understand the amount of interdependence as we move from individual-based networks to species-based networks and beyond. Despite the uneven distribution of studies, regularities in network structure emerge across scales due to the fundamental architectural patterns shared by complex networks and the interplay between traits and numerical effects. I illustrate the integration of these organizational scales by exploring the consequences of the emergence of highly connected species for network structures across scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo R. Guimarães
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-090, Brazil
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14
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Daniels RJ, Johnson SD, Peter CI. Flower orientation in Gloriosa superba (Colchicaceae) promotes cross-pollination via butterfly wings. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2020; 125:1137-1149. [PMID: 32188969 PMCID: PMC7262471 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcaa048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Complex modifications of angiosperm flowers often function for precise pollen placement on pollinators and to promote cross-pollination. We explore the functional significance of the unusually elaborate morphology of Gloriosa superba flowers, which are divided into one hermaphrodite meranthium and five male meranthia (functional pollination units of a single flower). METHODS We used controlled pollination experiments, floral measurements, pollen load analyses and visitor observations in four populations of G. superba in South Africa to determine the breeding system, mechanism of pollination and role of flower in the promotion of cross-pollination. KEY RESULTS We established that G. superba is self-compatible, but reliant on pollinators for seed production. Butterflies, in particular the pierid Eronia cleodora, were the primary pollinators (>90 % of visitors). Butterflies brush against the anthers and stigma during nectar feeding and pollen is carried on their ventral wing surfaces. Butterfly scales were positively correlated with the number of pollen grains on stigmas. We demonstrate that the styles were orientated towards clearings in the vegetation and we confirm that the highest proportion of initial visits was to hermaphrodite meranthia pointing towards clearings. CONCLUSIONS The flower morphology of G. superba results in effective pollen transfer on the wings of butterfly visitors. The style-bearing hermaphrodite meranthium of the flowers orientates towards open spaces in the vegetation, thus increasing the probability that butterflies land first on the hermaphrodite meranthium. This novel aspect of flower orientation is interpreted as a mechanism that promotes cross-pollination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J Daniels
- Department of Botany, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - Steven D Johnson
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, South Africa
| | - Craig I Peter
- Department of Botany, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
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15
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Carpenter DJ, Mathiassen SK, Boutin C, Strandberg B, Casey CS, Damgaard C. Effects of Herbicides on Flowering. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2020; 39:1244-1256. [PMID: 32170767 DOI: 10.1002/etc.4712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Herbicides have been shown to reduce flower production and to delay flowering, with results varying among herbicides and tested plant species. We investigated the effects of herbicides on flowering in an extensive greenhouse study conducted in Canada and Denmark. The effects of low doses of 5 different herbicides (bromoxynil, ioxynil + bromoxynil, metsulfuron-methyl, clopyralid, and glyphosate), simulating realistic drift scenarios (1 and 5% recommended field rates), on plant flowering were examined using 9 wild plant species exposed at either the seedling (6- to 8-leaf) or flower bud stage. Following herbicide exposure, initial flowering date as well as flower production over time were recorded over the growing period. The effect of herbicides on cumulative flower numbers and flowering time were modeled using Gompertz growth models. Significant delays to peak flowering and/or reductions in flower production were observed in at least one plant species for all tested herbicides, with glyphosate often exhibiting the greatest negative effects, that is, plant death. Except for ioxynil + bromoxynil, there was no clear evidence of either the seedling or the flower bud stage being more sensitive. Overall, 58% of all species × life stage × herbicide treatments resulted in either a statistically significant or a strong decline in flower production with herbicide application rates up to 5% of recommended field rates, whereas significant or strong delays in peak flowering were also detected but were slightly less common. Effects at 1% label rates were minimal. Simultaneous delays to peak flowering and reductions in total flower production occurred in approximately 25% of all cases, indicating that herbicide application rates simulating realistic drift scenarios would likely have negative effects on wild floral communities. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;39:1244-1256. © 2020 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Carpenter
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Science and Technology Branch, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Céline Boutin
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Science and Technology Branch, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Carlene S Casey
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Science and Technology Branch, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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16
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Ellner SP, Ng WH, Myers CR. Individual Specialization and Multihost Epidemics: Disease Spread in Plant-Pollinator Networks. Am Nat 2020; 195:E118-E131. [PMID: 32364778 DOI: 10.1086/708272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Many parasites infect multiple species and persist through a combination of within- and between-species transmission. Multispecies transmission networks are typically constructed at the species level, linking two species if any individuals of those species interact. However, generalist species often consist of specialized individuals that prefer different subsets of available resources, so individual- and species-level contact networks can differ systematically. To explore the epidemiological impacts of host specialization, we build and study a model for pollinator pathogens on plant-pollinator networks, in which individual pollinators have dynamic preferences for different flower species. We find that modeling and analysis that ignore individual host specialization can predict die-off of a disease that is actually strongly persistent and can badly over- or underpredict steady-state disease prevalence. Effects of individual preferences remain substantial whenever mean preference duration exceeds half of the mean time from infection to recovery or death. Similar results hold in a model where hosts foraging in different habitats have different frequencies of contact with an environmental reservoir for the pathogen. Thus, even if all hosts have the same long-run average behavior, dynamic individual differences can profoundly affect disease persistence and prevalence.
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17
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de Manincor N, Hautekeete N, Piquot Y, Schatz B, Vanappelghem C, Massol F. Does phenology explain plant–pollinator interactions at different latitudes? An assessment of its explanatory power in plant–hoverfly networks in French calcareous grasslands. OIKOS 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.07259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Nina Hautekeete
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8198 – Evo‐Eco‐Paleo FR‐59000 Lille France
| | - Yves Piquot
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8198 – Evo‐Eco‐Paleo FR‐59000 Lille France
| | - Bertrand Schatz
- CEFE, EPHE‐PSL, CNRS, Univ. of Montpellier, Univ. of Paul Valéry Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - Cédric Vanappelghem
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8198 – Evo‐Eco‐Paleo FR‐59000 Lille France
- Conservatoire d'espaces naturels Nord et du Pas‐de‐Calais Lillers France
| | - François Massol
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8198 – Evo‐Eco‐Paleo FR‐59000 Lille France
- Inserm, CHU Lille, Inst. Pasteur de Lille, U1019 – UMR 8204 – CIIL – Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Univ. Lille, CNRS Lille France
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18
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Jácome‐Flores ME, Jordano P, Delibes M, Fedriani JM. Interaction motifs variability in a Mediterranean palm under environmental disturbances: the mutualism–antagonism continuum. OIKOS 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.06688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Miguel E. Jácome‐Flores
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD‐CSIC) Avenida Américo Vespucio 26, Isla de la Cartuja ES‐41092 Sevilla Spain
- Cátedras‐CONACyT, Centro de Cambio Global y Sustentabilidad, c/Centenario del Instituto Juárez s/n Villahermosa Tabasco Mexico
| | - Pedro Jordano
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD‐CSIC) Avenida Américo Vespucio 26, Isla de la Cartuja ES‐41092 Sevilla Spain
| | - Miguel Delibes
- Dept of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD‐CSIC) Seville Spain
| | - Jose M. Fedriani
- Dept of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD‐CSIC) Seville Spain
- Centre for Applied Ecology ‘Prof. Baeta Neves’/InBio, Univ. of Lisbon Lisbon Portugal
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19
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Brunbjerg AK, Bruun HH, Brøndum L, Classen AT, Dalby L, Fog K, Frøslev TG, Goldberg I, Hansen AJ, Hansen MDD, Høye TT, Illum AA, Læssøe T, Newman GS, Skipper L, Søchting U, Ejrnæs R. A systematic survey of regional multi-taxon biodiversity: evaluating strategies and coverage. BMC Ecol 2019; 19:43. [PMID: 31615504 PMCID: PMC6792264 DOI: 10.1186/s12898-019-0260-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In light of the biodiversity crisis and our limited ability to explain variation in biodiversity, tools to quantify spatial and temporal variation in biodiversity and its underlying drivers are critically needed. Inspired by the recently published ecospace framework, we developed and tested a sampling design for environmental and biotic mapping. We selected 130 study sites (40 × 40 m) across Denmark using stratified random sampling along the major environmental gradients underlying biotic variation. Using standardized methods, we collected site species data on vascular plants, bryophytes, macrofungi, lichens, gastropods and arthropods. To evaluate sampling efficiency, we calculated regional coverage (relative to the known species number per taxonomic group), and site scale coverage (i.e., sample completeness per taxonomic group at each site). To extend taxonomic coverage to organisms that are difficult to sample by classical inventories (e.g., nematodes and non-fruiting fungi), we collected soil for metabarcoding. Finally, to assess site conditions, we mapped abiotic conditions, biotic resources and habitat continuity. Results Despite the 130 study sites only covering a minute fraction (0.0005%) of the total Danish terrestrial area, we found 1774 species of macrofungi (54% of the Danish fungal species pool), 663 vascular plant species (42%), 254 bryophyte species (41%) and 200 lichen species (19%). For arthropods, we observed 330 spider species (58%), 123 carabid beetle species (37%) and 99 hoverfly species (33%). Overall, sample coverage was remarkably high across taxonomic groups and sufficient to capture substantial spatial variation in biodiversity across Denmark. This inventory is nationally unprecedented in detail and resulted in the discovery of 143 species with no previous record for Denmark. Comparison between plant OTUs detected in soil DNA and observed plant species confirmed the usefulness of carefully curated environmental DNA-data. Correlations among species richness for taxonomic groups were predominantly positive, but did not correlate well among all taxa suggesting differential and complex biotic responses to environmental variation. Conclusions We successfully and adequately sampled a wide range of diverse taxa along key environmental gradients across Denmark using an approach that includes multi-taxon biodiversity assessment and ecospace mapping. Our approach is applicable to assessments of biodiversity in other regions and biomes where species are structured along environmental gradient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ane Kirstine Brunbjerg
- Section for Biodiversity & Conservation, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8410, Rønde, Denmark.
| | - Hans Henrik Bruun
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lars Brøndum
- Natural History Museum Aarhus, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Aimée T Classen
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA.,Centre for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, 1350, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lars Dalby
- Section for Biodiversity & Conservation, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8410, Rønde, Denmark
| | | | - Tobias G Frøslev
- Centre for GeoGenetics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Irina Goldberg
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anders Johannes Hansen
- Centre for GeoGenetics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Toke T Høye
- Section for Biodiversity & Conservation, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8410, Rønde, Denmark.,Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Building 1540, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Anders A Illum
- Centre for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, 1350, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thomas Læssøe
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Gregory S Newman
- Centre for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, 1350, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lars Skipper
- Natural History Museum Aarhus, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Ulrik Søchting
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rasmus Ejrnæs
- Section for Biodiversity & Conservation, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8410, Rønde, Denmark
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21
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de Santiago-Hernández MH, Martén-Rodríguez S, Lopezaraiza-Mikel M, Oyama K, González-Rodríguez A, Quesada M. The role of pollination effectiveness on the attributes of interaction networks: from floral visitation to plant fitness. Ecology 2019; 100:e02803. [PMID: 31240696 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2019] [Revised: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Network analysis is a powerful tool to understand community-level plant-pollinator interactions. We evaluated the role of floral visitors on plant fitness through a series of pollination exclusion experiments to test the effectiveness of pollinators of an Ipomoea community in the Pacific coast of Mexico, including: (1) all flower visitors, (2) visitors that contact the reproductive organs, (3) visitors that deposit pollen on stigmas, and (4) visitors that mediate fruit and seed production. Our results show that networks built from effective pollination interactions are smaller, less connected, more specialized and modular than floral visitor networks. Modules are associated with pollinator functional groups and they provide strong support for pollination syndromes only when non-effective interactions are excluded. In contrast to other studies, the analyzed networks are not nested. Our results also show that only 59% of floral visitors were legitimate pollinators that contribute to seed production. Furthermore, only 27% of the links in visitation network resulted in seed production. Our study shows that plant-pollination networks that consider effectiveness measures of pollination in addition to floral visitation provide insightful information about the different role floral visitors play in a community, encompassing a large number of commensalistic/antagonistic interactions and the more restricted set of mutualistic relationships that underlie the evolution of convergent floral phenotypes in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martín H de Santiago-Hernández
- Laboratorio Nacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica (LANASE), Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores (Unidad Morelia), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, 58190, Mexico.,Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 27-3, Morelia, Michoacán, 58089, Mexico.,Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad No. 3000, Coyoacán, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
| | - Silvana Martén-Rodríguez
- Laboratorio Nacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica (LANASE), Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores (Unidad Morelia), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, 58190, Mexico.,Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad No. 3000, Coyoacán, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
| | - Martha Lopezaraiza-Mikel
- Laboratorio Nacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica (LANASE), Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores (Unidad Morelia), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, 58190, Mexico.,Facultad de Desarrollo Sustentable, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Técpan de Galeana, Guerrero, 40900, Mexico
| | - Ken Oyama
- Laboratorio Nacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica (LANASE), Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores (Unidad Morelia), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, 58190, Mexico.,Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad No. 3000, Coyoacán, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
| | - Antonio González-Rodríguez
- Laboratorio Nacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica (LANASE), Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores (Unidad Morelia), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, 58190, Mexico.,Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 27-3, Morelia, Michoacán, 58089, Mexico.,Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad No. 3000, Coyoacán, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
| | - Mauricio Quesada
- Laboratorio Nacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica (LANASE), Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores (Unidad Morelia), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, 58190, Mexico.,Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 27-3, Morelia, Michoacán, 58089, Mexico.,Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad No. 3000, Coyoacán, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
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Valverde J, Perfectti F, Gómez JM. Pollination effectiveness in a generalist plant: adding the genetic component. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2019; 223:354-365. [PMID: 30761538 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The pollination effectiveness of a flower visitor has traditionally been measured as the product of a quantity component that depends on the frequency of interaction and a quality component that measures the per-visit effects on plant reproduction. We propose that this could be complemented with a genetic component informing about each pollinator's contribution to the genetic diversity and composition of the plant progeny. We measured the quantity and quality components of effectiveness of most pollinator functional groups of the generalist herb Erysimum mediohispanicum. We used 10 microsatellite markers to calculate the genetic component as the diversity of sires among siblings and included it into the calculation of the pollination effectiveness. Functional groups varied in the quantity and quality components, which were shown to be decoupled. Functional groups also differed in the genetic component. This component changed the estimates of pollination effectiveness, increasing the differences between some functional groups and modifying the pollination effectiveness landscape. We demonstrate that including the genetic component in the calculation of the pollination effectiveness may allow a more complete quantification of the contribution of each pollinator to the reproductive success of a plant, providing information on its mating patterns and long-term fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Valverde
- Departamento de Ecología, Universidad de Granada, ES-18071, Granada, Spain
| | - Francisco Perfectti
- Departamento de Genética and Unidad de Excelencia 'Modeling Nature', Universidad de Granada, ES-18071, Granada, Spain
| | - José María Gómez
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC), ES-04120, Almería, Spain
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23
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Szigeti V, Kőrösi Á, Harnos A, Kis J. Lifelong foraging and individual specialisation are influenced by temporal changes of resource availability. OIKOS 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.05400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Viktor Szigeti
- Dept of Ecology, Inst. for Biology, Univ. of Veterinary Medicine Budapest HU‐1077 Hungary
- Inst. of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Vácrátót Hungary
| | - Ádám Kőrösi
- Dept of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, Univ. of Würzburg Würzburg Germany
- MTA‐ELTE‐MTM Ecology Research Group Budapest Hungary
| | - Andrea Harnos
- Dept of Biomathematics and Informatics, Univ. of Veterinary Medicine Budapest Hungary
| | - János Kis
- Dept of Ecology, Inst. for Biology, Univ. of Veterinary Medicine Budapest HU‐1077 Hungary
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Rumeu B, Sheath DJ, Hawes JE, Ings TC. Zooming into plant-flower visitor networks: an individual trait-based approach. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5618. [PMID: 30245938 PMCID: PMC6147118 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how ecological communities are structured is a major goal in ecology. Ecological networks representing interaction patterns among species have become a powerful tool to capture the mechanisms underlying plant-animal assemblages. However, these networks largely do not account for inter-individual variability and thus may be limiting our development of a clear mechanistic understanding of community structure. In this study, we develop a new individual-trait based approach to examine the importance of individual plant and pollinator functional size traits (pollinator thorax width and plant nectar holder depth) in mutualistic networks. We performed hierarchical cluster analyses to group interacting individuals into classes, according to their similarity in functional size. We then compared the structure of bee-flower networks where nodes represented either species identity or trait sets. The individual trait-based network was almost twice as nested as its species-based equivalent and it had a more symmetric linkage pattern resulting from of a high degree of size-matching. In conclusion, we show that by constructing individual trait-based networks we can reveal important patterns otherwise difficult to observe in species-based networks and thus improve our understanding of community structure. We therefore recommend using both trait-based and species-based approaches together to develop a clearer understanding of the properties of ecological networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Rumeu
- Applied Ecology Research Group, Department of Biology, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Terrestrial Ecology Group, Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies (CSIC-UIB), Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
| | - Danny J Sheath
- Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph E Hawes
- Applied Ecology Research Group, Department of Biology, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas C Ings
- Applied Ecology Research Group, Department of Biology, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
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González-Varo JP, Arroyo JM, Jordano P. The timing of frugivore-mediated seed dispersal effectiveness. Mol Ecol 2018; 28:219-231. [PMID: 30151871 PMCID: PMC6905405 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Revised: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The seed dispersal effectiveness framework allows assessing mutualistic services from frugivorous animals in terms of quantity and quality. Quantity accounts for the number of seeds dispersed and quality for the probability of recruitment of dispersed seeds. Research on this topic has largely focused on the spatial patterns of seed deposition because seed fates often vary between microhabitats due to differences in biotic and abiotic factors. However, the temporal dimension has remained completely overlooked despite these factors-and even local disperser assemblages-can change dramatically during long fruiting periods. Here, we test timing effects on seed dispersal effectiveness, using as study case a keystone shrub species dispersed by frugivorous birds and with a fruiting period of 9 months. We evaluated quantity and quality in different microhabitats of a Mediterranean forest and different periods of the fruiting phenophase. We identified the bird species responsible for seed deposition through DNA barcoding and evaluated the probability of seedling recruitment through a series of field experiments on sequential demographic processes. We found that timing matters: The disperser assemblage was temporally structured, seed viability decreased markedly during the plant's fruiting phenophase, and germination was lower for viable seeds dispersed in the fruiting peak. We show how small contributions to seed deposition by transient migratory species can result in a relevant effectiveness if they disperse seeds in a high-quality period for seedling recruitment. This study expands our understanding of seed dispersal effectiveness, highlighting the importance of timing and infrequent interactions for population and community dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan P González-Varo
- Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC, Sevilla, Spain.,Terrestrial Ecology Group, Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados, UIB-CSIC, Esporles, Spain
| | - Juan M Arroyo
- Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Pedro Jordano
- Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
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26
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Ramirez KS, Geisen S, Morriën E, Snoek BL, van der Putten WH. Network Analyses Can Advance Above-Belowground Ecology. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2018; 23:759-768. [PMID: 30072227 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2018.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2018] [Revised: 06/05/2018] [Accepted: 06/17/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
An understanding of above-belowground (AG-BG) ecology is important for evaluating how plant interactions with enemies, symbionts, and decomposers affect species diversity and will respond to global changes. However, research questions and experiments often focus on only a limited number of interactions, creating an incomplete picture of how entire communities may be involved in AG-BG community ecology. Therefore, a pressing challenge is to formulate hypotheses of AG-BG interactions when considering communities in their full complexity. Here we discuss how network analyses can be a powerful tool to progress AG-BG research, link across scales from individual to community and ecosystem, visualize community interactions between the two (AG and BG) subsystems, and develop testable hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly S Ramirez
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), P.O. Box 50, 6700 AB, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Stefan Geisen
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), P.O. Box 50, 6700 AB, Wageningen, The Netherlands; Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 8123, 6700 ES, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Elly Morriën
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), P.O. Box 50, 6700 AB, Wageningen, The Netherlands; Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics (IBED-ELD), University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94248, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Basten L Snoek
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), P.O. Box 50, 6700 AB, Wageningen, The Netherlands; Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 8123, 6700 ES, Wageningen, The Netherlands; Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Wim H van der Putten
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), P.O. Box 50, 6700 AB, Wageningen, The Netherlands; Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 8123, 6700 ES, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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27
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Smith TJ, Mayfield MM. The effect of habitat fragmentation on the bee visitor assemblages of three Australian tropical rainforest tree species. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:8204-8216. [PMID: 30250696 PMCID: PMC6144977 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 06/02/2018] [Accepted: 06/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Tropical forest loss and fragmentation can change bee community dynamics and potentially interrupt plant-pollinator relationships. While bee community responses to forest fragmentation have been investigated in a number of tropical regions, no studies have focused on this topic in Australia. In this study, we examine taxonomic and functional diversity of bees visiting flowers of three tree species across small and large rainforest fragments in Australian tropical landscapes. We found lower taxonomic diversity of bees visiting flowers of trees in small rainforest fragments compared with large forest fragments and show that bee species in small fragments were subsets of species in larger fragments. Bees visiting trees in small fragments also had higher mean body sizes than those in larger fragments, suggesting that small-sized bees may be less likely to persist in small fragments. Lastly, we found reductions in the abundance of eusocial stingless bees visiting flowers in small fragments compared to large fragments. These results suggest that pollinator visits to native trees living in small tropical forest remnants may be reduced, which may in turn impact on a range of processes, potentially including forest regeneration and diversity maintenance in small forest remnants in Australian tropical countryside landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias J. Smith
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of QueenslandSt LuciaQldAustralia
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28
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Ison JL, Prescott LJ, Nordstrom SW, Waananen A, Wagenius S. Pollinator-mediated mechanisms for increased reproductive success in early flowering plants. OIKOS 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.04882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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29
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Phenology drives species interactions and modularity in a plant - flower visitor network. Sci Rep 2018; 8:9386. [PMID: 29925965 PMCID: PMC6010405 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-27725-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2017] [Accepted: 06/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenology is often identified as one of the main structural driving forces of plant – flower visitor networks. Nevertheless, we do not yet have a full understanding of the effects of phenology in basic network build up mechanisms such as ecological modularity. In this study, we aimed to identify the effect of within-season temporal variation of plant and flower visitor activity on the network structural conformation. Thus, we analysed the temporal dynamics of a plant – flower visitor network in two Mediterranean alpine communities during one complete flowering season. In our approach, we built quantitative interaction networks and studied the dynamics through temporal beta diversity of species, interaction changes and modularity analysis. Within-season dissimilarity in the identity of interactions was mainly caused by species replacement through time (species turnover). Temporal replacement of species and interactions clearly impacted modularity, to the extent that species phenology emerged as a strong determinant of modularity in our networks. From an applied perspective, our results highlight the importance of considering the temporal variation of species interactions throughout the flowering season and the requirement of making comprehensive temporal sampling when aiming to build functionally consistent interaction networks.
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30
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Miguel MF, Jordano P, Tabeni S, Campos CM. Context-dependency and anthropogenic effects on individual plant-frugivore networks. OIKOS 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.04978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Florencia Miguel
- Inst. Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas (UNCuyo- Gobierno de Mendoza-CONICET); Av. A. Ruiz Leal s/n, Parque General San Martín CP 5500, CC 507 Mendoza Argentina
- Integrative Ecology Group; Estación Biológica de Doñana EBD-CSIC Sevilla Spain
| | - Pedro Jordano
- Integrative Ecology Group; Estación Biológica de Doñana EBD-CSIC Sevilla Spain
| | - Solana Tabeni
- Inst. Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas (UNCuyo- Gobierno de Mendoza-CONICET); Av. A. Ruiz Leal s/n, Parque General San Martín CP 5500, CC 507 Mendoza Argentina
| | - Claudia M. Campos
- Inst. Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas (UNCuyo- Gobierno de Mendoza-CONICET); Av. A. Ruiz Leal s/n, Parque General San Martín CP 5500, CC 507 Mendoza Argentina
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31
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Giménez-Benavides L, Escudero A, García-Camacho R, García-Fernández A, Iriondo JM, Lara-Romero C, Morente-López J. How does climate change affect regeneration of Mediterranean high-mountain plants? An integration and synthesis of current knowledge. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2018; 20 Suppl 1:50-62. [PMID: 28985449 DOI: 10.1111/plb.12643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2017] [Accepted: 09/30/2017] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Mediterranean mountains are extraordinarily diverse and hold a high proportion of endemic plants, but they are particularly vulnerable to climate change, and most species distribution models project drastic changes in community composition. Retrospective studies and long-term monitoring also highlight that Mediterranean high-mountain plants are suffering severe range contractions. The aim of this work is to review the current knowledge of climate change impacts on the process of plant regeneration by seed in Mediterranean high-mountain plants, by combining available information from observational and experimental studies. We also discuss some processes that may provide resilience against changing environmental conditions and suggest some research priorities for the future. With some exceptions, there is still little evidence of the direct effects of climate change on pollination and reproductive success of Mediterranean high-mountain plants, and most works are observational and/or centred only in the post-dispersal stages (germination and establishment). The great majority of studies agree that the characteristic summer drought and the extreme heatwaves, which are projected to be more intense in the future, are the most limiting factors for the regeneration process. However, there is an urgent need for studies combining elevational gradient approaches with experimental manipulations of temperature and drought to confirm the magnitude and variability of species' responses. There is also limited knowledge about the ability of Mediterranean high-mountain plants to cope with climate change through phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation processes. This could be achieved by performing common garden and reciprocal translocation experiments with species differing in life history traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Giménez-Benavides
- Department Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos-ESCET, C/Tulipán, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - A Escudero
- Department Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos-ESCET, C/Tulipán, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - R García-Camacho
- Department Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos-ESCET, C/Tulipán, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - A García-Fernández
- Department Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos-ESCET, C/Tulipán, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - J M Iriondo
- Department Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos-ESCET, C/Tulipán, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - C Lara-Romero
- Global Change Research Department, Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies (CSIC-UIB), Esporles, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
| | - J Morente-López
- Department Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos-ESCET, C/Tulipán, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
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32
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Dormann CF, Fründ J, Schaefer HM. Identifying Causes of Patterns in Ecological Networks: Opportunities and Limitations. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2017. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-110316-022928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Ecological networks depict the interactions between species, mainly based on observations in the field. The information contained in such interaction matrices depends on the sampling design, and typically, compounds preferences (specialization) and abundances (activity). Null models are the primary vehicles to disentangle the effects of specialization from those of sampling and abundance, but they ignore the feedback of network structure on abundances. Hence, network structure, as exemplified here by modularity, is difficult to link to specific causes. Indeed, various processes lead to modularity and to specific interaction patterns more generally. Inferring (co)evolutionary dynamics is even more challenging, as competition and trait matching yield identical patterns of interactions. A satisfactory resolution of the underlying factors determining network structure will require substantial additional information, not only on independently assessed abundances, but also on traits, and ideally on fitness consequences as measured in experimental setups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carsten F. Dormann
- Biometry and Environmental System Analysis, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany;,
| | - Jochen Fründ
- Biometry and Environmental System Analysis, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany;,
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33
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Rodríguez-Rodríguez MC, Jordano P, Valido A. Functional consequences of plant-animal interactions along the mutualism-antagonism gradient. Ecology 2017; 98:1266-1276. [PMID: 28135774 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Revised: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Plant-animal interactions are pivotal for ecosystem functioning, and usually form complex networks involving multiple species of mutualists as well as antagonists. The costs and benefits of these interactions show a strong context-dependency directly related to individual variation in partner identity and differential strength. Yet understanding the context-dependency and functional consequences of mutualistic and antagonistic interactions on individuals remains a lasting challenge. We use a network approach to characterize the individual, plant-based pollination interaction networks of the Canarian Isoplexis canariensis (Plantaginaceae) with a mixed assemblage of vertebrate mutualists (birds and lizards) and invertebrate antagonists (florivores, nectar larcenists, and predispersal seed predators). We identify and quantify interaction typologies based on the sign (mutualistic vs. antagonistic) and strength (weak vs. strong) of animal-mediated pollination and test the relationship with individual female reproductive success (FRS). In addition, we document pollinator movement patterns among individual plants to infer events of pollen transfer/receipt that define the plant mating networks and test the relationship with FRS. We identify six interaction typologies along a mutualism-antagonism gradient, with two typologies being over-represented involving both mutualists and antagonists and influencing FRS. Plants showing strong mutualistic interactions, but also (weak or strong) interactions with antagonists are relatively better connected in the mating network (i.e., with higher potential to transfer or receive pollen). Thus, mixed flower visitor assemblages with mutualists and antagonists give plants increased their importance in the mating networks, promote outcrossing and increasing both female and male fitness. Our approach helps characterize plant-animal interaction typologies, the context-specificity of diversified mutualisms, and a better forecasting of their functional consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- María C Rodríguez-Rodríguez
- Department of Integrative Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), C/Americo Vespucio 26, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Pedro Jordano
- Department of Integrative Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), C/Americo Vespucio 26, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Alfredo Valido
- Department of Integrative Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), C/Americo Vespucio 26, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
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34
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Muñoz-Pajares AJ, García C, Abdelaziz M, Bosch J, Perfectti F, Gómez JM. Drivers of genetic differentiation in a generalist insect-pollinated herb across spatial scales. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:1576-1585. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.13971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2015] [Revised: 11/05/2016] [Accepted: 12/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. J. Muñoz-Pajares
- Plant Biology; CIBIO/InBio; Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos; Laboratório Associado; Universidade do Porto; Campus Agrário de Vairão 4485-661 Vairão Portugal
- Departamento de Genética; Universidad de Granada; Granada Spain
| | - C. García
- Plant Biology; CIBIO/InBio; Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos; Laboratório Associado; Universidade do Porto; Campus Agrário de Vairão 4485-661 Vairão Portugal
| | - M. Abdelaziz
- Departamento de Genética; Universidad de Granada; Granada Spain
- Biological and Environmental Sciences; School of Natural Sciences; University of Stirling; Stirling FK9 4LA UK
| | - J. Bosch
- CREAF (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals); Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; 08193 Bellaterra Barcelona Spain
| | - F. Perfectti
- Departamento de Genética; Universidad de Granada; Granada Spain
| | - J. M. Gómez
- Departamento de Ecología; Universidad de Granada; Granada Spain
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva; Estación Experimental de Zonas Aridas (EEZACSIC); Almería Spain
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35
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Inter-annual maintenance of the fine-scale genetic structure in a biennial plant. Sci Rep 2016; 6:37712. [PMID: 27883087 PMCID: PMC5121606 DOI: 10.1038/srep37712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2016] [Accepted: 11/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Within plant populations, space-restricted gene movement, together with environmental heterogeneity, can result in a spatial variation in gene frequencies. In biennial plants, inter-annual flowering migrants can homogenize gene frequencies between consecutive cohorts. However, the actual impact of these migrants on spatial genetic variation remains unexplored. Here, we used 10 nuclear microsatellite and one plastid genetic marker to characterize the spatial genetic structure within two consecutive cohorts in a population of the biennial plant Erysimum mediohispanicum (Brassicaceae). We explored the maintenance of this structure between consecutive flowering cohorts at different levels of complexity, and investigated landscape effects on gene flow. We found that cohorts were not genetically differentiated and showed a spatial genetic structure defined by a negative genetic-spatial correlation at fine scale that varied in intensity with compass directions. This spatial genetic structure was maintained when comparing plants from different cohorts. Additionally, genotypes were consistently associated with environmental factors such as light availability and soil composition, but to a lesser extent compared with the spatial autocorrelation. We conclude that inter-annual migrants, in combination with limited seed dispersal and environmental heterogeneity, play a major role in shaping and maintaining the spatial genetic structure among cohorts in this biennial plant.
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36
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Trøjelsgaard K, Olesen JM. Ecological networks in motion: micro‐ and macroscopic variability across scales. Funct Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kristian Trøjelsgaard
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience Aalborg University Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H Aalborg East9220 Denmark
| | - Jens M. Olesen
- Department of Bioscience Aarhus University Ny Munkegade 116 Aarhus C 8000 Denmark
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37
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Roslin T, Majaneva S. The use of DNA barcodes in food web construction-terrestrial and aquatic ecologists unite! Genome 2016; 59:603-28. [PMID: 27484156 DOI: 10.1139/gen-2015-0229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
By depicting who eats whom, food webs offer descriptions of how groupings in nature (typically species or populations) are linked to each other. For asking questions on how food webs are built and work, we need descriptions of food webs at different levels of resolution. DNA techniques provide opportunities for highly resolved webs. In this paper, we offer an exposé of how DNA-based techniques, and DNA barcodes in particular, have recently been used to construct food web structure in both terrestrial and aquatic systems. We highlight how such techniques can be applied to simultaneously improve the taxonomic resolution of the nodes of the web (i.e., the species), and the links between them (i.e., who eats whom). We end by proposing how DNA barcodes and DNA information may allow new approaches to the construction of larger interaction webs, and overcome some hurdles to achieving adequate sample size. Most importantly, we propose that the joint adoption and development of these techniques may serve to unite approaches to food web studies in aquatic and terrestrial systems-revealing the extent to which food webs in these environments are structured similarly to or differently from each other, and how they are linked by dispersal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Roslin
- a Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7044, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.,b Spatial Foodweb Ecology Group, Department of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 27, (Latokartanonkaari 5), FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sanna Majaneva
- c Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial model Systems (EEMiS), Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, 39182 Kalmar, Sweden
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38
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo R. Guimarães
- Ecology, Rua Nanuque no. 354, Apto 74, Vila Leopoldina; Sao Paulo São Paulo 05302-031 Brazil
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