1
|
Peralta G, CaraDonna PJ, Rakosy D, Fründ J, Pascual Tudanca MP, Dormann CF, Burkle LA, Kaiser-Bunbury CN, Knight TM, Resasco J, Winfree R, Blüthgen N, Castillo WJ, Vázquez DP. Predicting plant-pollinator interactions: concepts, methods, and challenges. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:494-505. [PMID: 38262775 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Plant-pollinator interactions are ecologically and economically important, and, as a result, their prediction is a crucial theoretical and applied goal for ecologists. Although various analytical methods are available, we still have a limited ability to predict plant-pollinator interactions. The predictive ability of different plant-pollinator interaction models depends on the specific definitions used to conceptualize and quantify species attributes (e.g., morphological traits), sampling effects (e.g., detection probabilities), and data resolution and availability. Progress in the study of plant-pollinator interactions requires conceptual and methodological advances concerning the mechanisms and species attributes governing interactions as well as improved modeling approaches to predict interactions. Current methods to predict plant-pollinator interactions present ample opportunities for improvement and spark new horizons for basic and applied research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guadalupe Peralta
- Multidisciplinary Institute of Plant Biology, National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET)-National University of Córdoba, Córdoba, X5016GCN, Argentina.
| | - Paul J CaraDonna
- Chicago Botanic Garden, Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action, Glencoe, IL 60022, USA; Plant Biology and Conservation, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
| | - Demetra Rakosy
- Department for Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig 04318, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Jochen Fründ
- Biometry and Environmental System Analysis, University of Freiburg, Freiburg 79098, Germany; Animal Network Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg 20148, Germany
| | - María P Pascual Tudanca
- Argentine Institute for Dryland Research, National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET)-National University of Cuyo, Mendoza 5500, Argentina
| | - Carsten F Dormann
- Biometry and Environmental System Analysis, University of Freiburg, Freiburg 79098, Germany
| | - Laura A Burkle
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Christopher N Kaiser-Bunbury
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Tiffany M Knight
- Department for Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig 04318, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany; Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) 06108, Germany
| | - Julian Resasco
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Rachael Winfree
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Nico Blüthgen
- Ecological Networks Lab, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt 64287, Germany
| | - William J Castillo
- Biometry and Environmental System Analysis, University of Freiburg, Freiburg 79098, Germany
| | - Diego P Vázquez
- Argentine Institute for Dryland Research, National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET)-National University of Cuyo, Mendoza 5500, Argentina; Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, National University of Cuyo, Mendoza M5502, Argentina.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Dzekashu FF, Pirk CWW, Yusuf AA, Classen A, Kiatoko N, Steffan‐Dewenter I, Peters MK, Lattorff HMG. Seasonal and elevational changes of plant-pollinator interaction networks in East African mountains. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10060. [PMID: 37187966 PMCID: PMC10175727 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Across an elevation gradient, several biotic and abiotic factors influence community assemblages of interacting species leading to a shift in species distribution, functioning, and ultimately topologies of species interaction networks. However, empirical studies of climate-driven seasonal and elevational changes in plant-pollinator networks are rare, particularly in tropical ecosystems. Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspots in Kenya, East Africa. We recorded plant-bee interactions at 50 study sites between 515 and 2600 m asl for a full year, following all four major seasons in this region. We analysed elevational and seasonal network patterns using generalised additive models (GAMs) and quantified the influence of climate, floral resource availability, and bee diversity on network structures using a multimodel inference framework. We recorded 16,741 interactions among 186 bee and 314 plant species of which a majority involved interactions with honeybees. We found that nestedness and bee species specialisation of plant-bee interaction networks increased with elevation and that the relationships were consistent in the cold-dry and warm-wet seasons respectively. Link rewiring increased in the warm-wet season with elevation but remained indifferent in the cold-dry seasons. Conversely, network modularity and plant species were more specialised at lower elevations during both the cold-dry and warm-wet seasons, with higher values observed during the warm-wet seasons. We found flower and bee species diversity and abundance rather than direct effects of climate variables to best predict modularity, specialisation, and link rewiring in plant-bee-interaction networks. This study highlights changes in network architectures with elevation suggesting a potential sensitivity of plant-bee interactions with climate warming and changes in rainfall patterns along the elevation gradients of the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fairo F. Dzekashu
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe)NairobiKenya
- Social Insects Research Group, Department of Zoology and EntomologyUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaSouth Africa
| | - Christian W. W. Pirk
- Social Insects Research Group, Department of Zoology and EntomologyUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaSouth Africa
| | - Abdullahi A. Yusuf
- Social Insects Research Group, Department of Zoology and EntomologyUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaSouth Africa
| | - Alice Classen
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, BiocenterUniversity of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
| | - Nkoba Kiatoko
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe)NairobiKenya
| | - Ingolf Steffan‐Dewenter
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, BiocenterUniversity of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
| | - Marcell K. Peters
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, BiocenterUniversity of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
| | - H. Michael G. Lattorff
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe)NairobiKenya
- Present address:
Department of ChemistryUniversity of NairobiNairobiKenya
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
de Manincor N, Fisogni A, Rafferty NE. Warming of experimental plant-pollinator communities advances phenologies, alters traits, reduces interactions and depresses reproduction. Ecol Lett 2023; 26:323-334. [PMID: 36592334 PMCID: PMC10107705 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Climate change may disrupt plant-pollinator mutualisms by generating phenological asynchronies and by altering traits that shape interaction costs and benefits. Our knowledge is limited to studies that manipulate only one partner or focus on either phenological or trait-based mismatches. We assembled communities of three annual plants and a solitary bee prior to flowering and emergence to test how springtime warming affects phenologies, traits, interactions and reproductive output. Warming advanced community-level flowering onset, peak and end but did not alter bee emergence. Warmed plant communities produced fewer and smaller flowers with less, more-concentrated nectar, reducing attractiveness, and warmed bees were more generalized in their foraging, reducing their effectiveness. Plant-bee interactions were less frequent, shorter and peaked earlier under warming. As a result, warmed plants produced fewer, lighter seeds, indicating pollinator-mediated fitness costs. Climate change will perturb plant-pollinator mutualisms, causing wide-ranging effects on partner species and diminishing the ecosystem service they provide.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Natasha de Manincor
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Alessandro Fisogni
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Nicole E Rafferty
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Geissler C, Davidson A, Niesenbaum RA. The influence of climate warming on flowering phenology in relation to historical annual and seasonal temperatures and plant functional traits. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15188. [PMID: 37101791 PMCID: PMC10124540 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Climate warming has the potential to influence plant flowering phenology which in turn can have broader ecological consequences. Herbarium collections offer a source of historical plant data that makes possible the ability to document and better understand how warming climate can influence long-term shifts in flowering phenology. We examined the influence of annual, winter, and spring temperatures on the flowering phenology of herbarium specimens for 36 species collected from 1884-2015. We then compared the response to warming between native and non-native, woody and herbaceous, dry and fleshy fruit, and spring vs summer blooming species. Across all species, plants flowered 2.26 days earlier per 1 °C increase in annual average temperatures and 2.93 days earlier per 1 °C increase in spring onset average temperatures. Winter temperatures did not significantly influence flowering phenology. The relationship of temperature and flowering phenology was not significantly different between native and non-native species. Woody species flowered earlier than herbaceous species only in response to increasing annual temperatures. There was no difference in the phenological response between species with dry fruits and those fleshy fruits for any of the temperature periods. Spring blooming species exhibited a significantly greater phenological response to warming yearly average temperatures than summer blooming species. Although herbarium specimens can reveal climate change impacts on phenology, it is also evident that the phenological responses to warming vary greatly among species due to differences in functional traits such as those considered here, as well as other factors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cole Geissler
- Department of Biology, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA, United States of America
| | - Allison Davidson
- Department of Mathematics, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA, United States of America
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Manincor N, Andreu B, Buatois B, Lou Chao H, Hautekèete N, Massol F, Piquot Y, Schatz B, Schmitt E, Dufay M. Geographical variation of floral scents in generalist entomophilous species with variable pollinator communities. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Benjamin Andreu
- CEFE Univ. Montpellier CNRS EPHE IRD Univ. Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 Montpellier France
| | - Bruno Buatois
- CEFE Univ. Montpellier CNRS EPHE IRD Univ. Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 Montpellier France
| | | | | | - François Massol
- Univ. Lille CNRS UMR 8198—Evo‐Eco‐Paleo Lille France
- Univ. Lille CNRS Inserm CHU Lille Institut Pasteur de Lille U1019—UMR 9017—CIIL—Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille Lille France
| | - Yves Piquot
- Univ. Lille CNRS UMR 8198—Evo‐Eco‐Paleo Lille France
| | - Bertrand Schatz
- CEFE Univ. Montpellier CNRS EPHE IRD Univ. Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 Montpellier France
| | - Eric Schmitt
- Univ. Lille CNRS UMR 8198—Evo‐Eco‐Paleo Lille France
| | - Mathilde Dufay
- Univ. Lille CNRS UMR 8198—Evo‐Eco‐Paleo Lille France
- CEFE Univ. Montpellier CNRS EPHE IRD Univ. Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 Montpellier France
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Duchenne F, Fontaine C, Teulière E, Thébault E. Phenological traits foster persistence of mutualistic networks by promoting facilitation. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:2088-2099. [PMID: 34218505 PMCID: PMC8518482 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Morphological and phenological traits are key determinants of the structure of mutualistic networks. Both traits create forbidden links, but phenological traits can also decouple interaction in time. While such difference likely affects the indirect effects among species and consequently network persistence, it remains overlooked. Here, using a dynamic model, we show that networks structured by phenology favour facilitation over competition within guilds of pollinators and plants, thereby increasing network persistence, while the contrary holds for networks structured by morphology. We further show that such buffering of competition by phenological traits mostly beneficiate to specialists, the most vulnerable species otherwise, which propagate the most positive effects within guilds and promote nestedness. Our results indicate that beyond trophic mismatch, phenological shifts such as those induced by climate change are likely to affect indirect effects within mutualistic assemblages, with consequences for biodiversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- François Duchenne
- Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, (Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Université Paris Est Créteil, INRAE, IRD), Paris, France.,Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation, (CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université), Paris, France.,Biodiversity and Conservation Biology Research Center, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Colin Fontaine
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation, (CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne Université), Paris, France
| | - Elsa Teulière
- Lycée Romain Rolland, Académie de Créteil (Education Nationale), Ivry-sur-Seine, France
| | - Elisa Thébault
- Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, (Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Université Paris Est Créteil, INRAE, IRD), Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Vasiliev D, Greenwood S. The role of climate change in pollinator decline across the Northern Hemisphere is underestimated. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 775:145788. [PMID: 33618305 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2020] [Revised: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Pollinator biodiversity loss occurs at unprecedented rates globally, with particularly sharp declines documented in the North Temperate Zone. There is currently no consensus on the main drivers of the decline. Although climate change is expected to drive biodiversity loss in the future, current warming is often suggested to have positive impacts on pollinator assemblages in higher latitudes. Consequently, pollinator conservation initiatives in Europe and the USA tend to lack climate adaptation initiatives, an omission of which may be risky if climate change has significant negative impacts on pollinators. To gain an understanding of the impacts of climate change on pollinator biodiversity in the Northern Hemisphere, we conducted a literature review on genetic, species and community level diversity. Our findings suggest that global heating most likely causes homogenization of pollinator assemblages at all levels of pollinator biodiversity, making them less resilient to future stochasticity. Aspects of biodiversity that are rarely measured (e.g. genetic diversity, β-diversity, species evenness) tend to be most affected, while some dimensions of climate change, such as fluctuations in winter weather conditions, changes in the length of the vegetational season and increased frequency of extreme weather events, that seldom receive attention in empirical studies, tend to be particularly detrimental to pollinators. Negative effects of global heating on pollinator biodiversity are most likely exacerbated by homogenous and fragmented landscapes, widespread across Europe and the US, which limit opportunities for range-shifts and reduce micro-climatic buffering. This suggests the need for conservation initiatives to focus on increasing landscape connectivity and heterogeneity at multiple spatial scales.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Denis Vasiliev
- Biodiversity, Wildlife and Ecosystem Health MSc, Biomedical Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, 1 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| | - Sarah Greenwood
- Biodiversity, Wildlife and Ecosystem Health MSc, Biomedical Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, 1 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Fisogni A, Hautekèete N, Piquot Y, Brun M, Vanappelghem C, Michez D, Massol F. Urbanization drives an early spring for plants but not for pollinators. OIKOS 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.07274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Fisogni
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8198 – Evo‐Eco‐Paleo FR‐59000 Lille France
- Dept of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Univ. of California, Riverside 900 University Avenue Riverside CA 92521 USA
| | - Nina Hautekèete
- 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
| | - Marion Brun
- Univ. Lille, UFR de Géographie et Aménagement – TVES EA 4477 Lille France
| | | | - Denis Michez
- Laboratoire de Zoologie, Res. Inst. of Biosciences, Univ. of Mons Mons Belgium
| | - François Massol
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8198 – Evo‐Eco‐Paleo FR‐59000 Lille France
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Inst. Pasteur de Lille, U1019 – UMR 8204 – CIIL – Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille Lille France
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Massol F, Macke E, Callens M, Decaestecker E. A methodological framework to analyse determinants of host-microbiota networks, with an application to the relationships between Daphnia magna's gut microbiota and bacterioplankton. J Anim Ecol 2020; 90:102-119. [PMID: 32654135 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The past 30 years have seen both a surge of interest in assessing ecological interactions using tools borrowed from network theory and an explosion of data on the occurrence of microbial symbionts thanks to next-generation sequencing. Given that classic network methods cannot currently measure the respective effects of different environmental and biological drivers on network structure, we here present two methods to elucidate the determinants of bipartite interaction networks. The first method is based on classifications and compares communities within networks to the grouping of nodes by treatment or similar controlling groups. The second method assesses the link between multivariate explanatory variables and network structure using redundancy analyses after singular value decomposition. In both methods, the significance of effects can be gauged through two randomizations. Our methods were applied to experimental data on Daphnia magna and its interactions with gut microbiota and bacterioplankton. The whole network was affected by Daphnia's diet (algae and/or cyanobacteria) and sample type, but not by Daphnia genotype. At coarse grains, bacterioplankton and gut microbiota communities were different. At this scale, the structure of the gut microbiota-based network was not linked to any explanatory factors, while the bacterioplankton-based network was related to both Daphnia's diet and genotype. At finer grains, Daphnia's diet and genotype affected both microbial networks, but the effect of diet on gut microbiota network structure was mediated solely by differences in microbial richness. While no reciprocal effect between the microbial communities could be found, fine-grained analyses presented a more nuanced picture, with bacterioplankton likely affecting the composition of the gut microbiota. Our methods are widely applicable to bipartite networks, can elucidate both controlled and environmental effects in experimental setting using a large amount of sequencing data and can tease apart reciprocal effects of networks on one another. The twofold approach we propose has the advantage of being able to tease apart effects at different scales of network structure, thus allowing for detailed assessment of reciprocal effects of linked networks on one another. As such, our network methods can help ecologists understand huge datasets reporting microbial co-occurrences within different hosts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- François Massol
- UMR 8198 Evo-Eco-Paleo, SPICI Group, University of Lille, Lille, France.,CNRS, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019-UMR 8204-CIIL-Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, University of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Emilie Macke
- Laboratory of Aquatic Biology, Department of Biology, KU Leuven (Kulak), Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Martijn Callens
- Laboratory of Aquatic Biology, Department of Biology, KU Leuven (Kulak), Kortrijk, Belgium.,Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR CNRS 5175, Montpellier, France
| | - Ellen Decaestecker
- Laboratory of Aquatic Biology, Department of Biology, KU Leuven (Kulak), Kortrijk, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Innangi M, Friščić M, Hazler Pilepić K, Danise T, Conti F, Bartolucci F, Fioretto A, Peruzzi L. Explaining Intricate Morphometric Variability with Environmental Predictors: The Case of Globularia cordifolia Species Complex. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2020; 9:E314. [PMID: 32138221 PMCID: PMC7154870 DOI: 10.3390/plants9030314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Globularia is a genus of small evergreen and perennial shrubs that are widespread in Europe. Globularia section Empetron includes a group of three species, G. cordifolia, G. meridionalis, and G. neapolitana, that have been taxonomically disputed for more than 150 years. Many morphological features have been proposed to discriminate these species. Nevertheless, evidence from both past and recent literature suggest that these differences among species are not consistent. In order to shed new light in this long-disputed group, we investigated 10 populations of the G. cordifolia species complex with both classical and geometric morphometrics and used environmental predictors in multivariate regression to explain patterns of variation. Our results showed that bract area and calyx teeth length are correlated with solar radiation and annual precipitation, whereas leaf dry mass per unit area can be explained by temperature seasonality. Leaf shape can be explained by temperature seasonality as well, although with a lower amount of explanatory and predictive power. Despite a comparatively low sample size in terms of populations, our results were based on a large number of individuals and were supported by a robust statistical approach. We can conclude that differences among the three species of Globularia could be related to the combined effects of several ecological variables and might not have taxonomical value. Our novel approach provided an ecological interpretation on a species complex that makes up a continuum of forms within the environmental framework of the Mediterranean basin.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michele Innangi
- Department of Environmental, Biological, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy; (T.D.); (A.F.)
| | - Maja Friščić
- Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, Schrottova 39, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.F.); (K.H.P.)
| | - Kroata Hazler Pilepić
- Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, Schrottova 39, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.F.); (K.H.P.)
| | - Tiziana Danise
- Department of Environmental, Biological, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy; (T.D.); (A.F.)
| | - Fabio Conti
- Floristic Research Center of the Apennines, University of Camerino—Gran Sasso-Laga National Park, San Colombo, 67021 Barisciano (L’Aquiila), Italy; (F.C.); (F.B.)
| | - Fabrizio Bartolucci
- Floristic Research Center of the Apennines, University of Camerino—Gran Sasso-Laga National Park, San Colombo, 67021 Barisciano (L’Aquiila), Italy; (F.C.); (F.B.)
| | - Antonietta Fioretto
- Department of Environmental, Biological, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy; (T.D.); (A.F.)
| | - Lorenzo Peruzzi
- Department of Biology—Botany Unit, University of Pisa, Via Derna 11, 56126 Pisa, Italy;
| |
Collapse
|