Predicting plant–pollinator interactions: concepts, methods, and challenges

Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 39(5), С. 494 - 505

Опубликована: Янв. 22, 2024

Язык: Английский

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Exotic and native plants play equally important roles in supporting and structuring plant-hummingbird networks within urban green spaces

PeerJ, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 12, С. e16996 - e16996

Опубликована: Фев. 21, 2024

Background Urban gardens, despite their transformed nature, serve as invaluable microcosms for a quantitative examination of floral resource provision to urban pollinators, considering the plant’s origin. Thus, knowledge has increased, emphasizing importance these green areas hosting and conserving pollinator communities. However, there is significant gap concerning changing availability native exotic resources over time impact on structuring interaction networks with specific pollinators. Methods Over year-long period, monthly surveys were conducted record both plant species visited by hummingbirds in an garden at Tlaxcala, Mexico. Flower visits recorded, total flowers each tallied. Additionally, all observed recorded during transect walks, regardless visits, determine hummingbird abundance. The interactions summarized using matrices, network descriptors like connectance, specializacion, nestedness, modularity computed. Plant core periphery also identified. Lastly, simulations performed assess network’s resilience extinction highly connected species, including those previously situated core. Results We 4,674 between 28 eight species. majority plants showed ornithophilic syndrome, 20 considered exotic. Despite asynchronous flowering, was overlap across different throughout year. Exotic Jacaranda mimosifolia Nicotiana glauca produced more annually than abundance varied study, Saucerottia berillyna being most abundant plant-hummingbird displayed high indicating generalization interaction. Significant nestedness observed, mainly influenced enriched plants, while Basilinna leucotis Cynanthus latirostris played central roles among hummingbirds. Network remained generally high. Conclusions Our findings provide valuable insights into dynamics structure influence perturbations. Understanding managing such crucial conservation sustainable functioning ecosystems.

Язык: Английский

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Seed dispersal networks in tropical forest fragments: Area effects, remnant species, and interaction diversity

Biotropica, Год журнала: 2019, Номер 52(1), С. 81 - 89

Опубликована: Дек. 16, 2019

Abstract Seed dispersal interactions involve key ecological processes in tropical forests that help to maintain ecosystem functioning. Yet this functionality may be threatened by increasing habitat loss, defaunation, and fragmentation. However, generalist species, their interactions, can benefit from the change caused human disturbance while more specialized mostly disappear. Therefore, changes structure of local, within fragment, networks expected. Here we investigated how seed along a gradient We analyzed 16 bird assemblages forest fragments biodiversity‐rich ecosystem. found significant species–, interaction–, network–area relationships, yet later was determined number species remaining each community. The frugivorous plant links per decreases as area is lost fragmented landscape. In contrast, network nestedness has negative relationship with fragment area, suggesting an generalization Network specialization not significantly affected indicating some properties invariant disturbance. Still, local extinction partner paralleled loss specialist–specialist bird–plant associations, suggests functional homogenization system lost. Our study provides empirical evidence for relationships driven presence/absence remnant they perform. Spanish available online material.

Язык: Английский

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Structural forecasting of species persistence under changing environments

Ecology Letters, Год журнала: 2020, Номер 23(10), С. 1511 - 1521

Опубликована: Авг. 10, 2020

The persistence of a species in given place not only depends on its intrinsic capacity to consume and transform resources into offspring, but also how changing environmental conditions affect growth rate. However, the complexity factors has typically taken us choose between understanding predicting species. To tackle this limitation, we propose probabilistic approach rooted statistical concepts ensemble theory applied mechanics mathematical structural stability population dynamics models - what call forecasting. We show new allows estimate probability for single local communities; understand interpret conditional information have concerning system; provide out-of-sample predictions as good best experimental approaches without need extensive amounts data.

Язык: Английский

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Diverse interactions and ecosystem engineering can stabilize community assembly

Nature Communications, Год журнала: 2020, Номер 11(1)

Опубликована: Июль 3, 2020

Abstract The complexity of an ecological community can be distilled into a network, where diverse interactions connect species in web dependencies. Species interact directly with each other and indirectly through environmental effects, however to our knowledge the role these ecosystem engineers has not been considered network models. Here we explore dynamics assembly, colonization extinction depends on constraints imposed by trophic, service, engineering We show that assembly model reproduces many key features systems, such as generalists during realistic maximum trophic levels, increased nestedness mutualistic interactions. find large nonlinear effects rates. While small numbers reduce stability increasing primary extinctions, larger increase reducing extinctions cascade magnitude. Our results suggest may enhance diversity while persistence facilitating limiting competitive exclusion.

Язык: Английский

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Dissimilarity of species interaction networks: how to partition rewiring and species turnover components

Ecosphere, Год журнала: 2021, Номер 12(7)

Опубликована: Июль 1, 2021

Abstract Describing variation of species interaction networks across space and time promises a better understanding how communities respond to global change. To understand this variation, it has been suggested partition network dissimilarity into one component driven by turnover, that is, changes in community composition, another reflecting rewiring, flexibility interactions among shared species. The latter makes strong case for investing the enormous effort empirically recording interactions, instead simply building based on data. Here, I present flexible R function (available package bipartite) calculate its components, with binary quantitative networks. With new tool, compare two published methods partitioning dissimilarity, using conceptual examples, plant–pollinator networks, set simulations. This comparison highlights method received most attention overestimates importance rewiring total dissimilarity. In contrast, an earlier‐proposed is derived from additive sets thus accurately represents components. Furthermore, argue term not well defined ecology there are reasons why both overestimate particular availability unified multiple aspects will foster critical application characterize dynamics identify underlying drivers. Studies have be more careful choice interpretation.

Язык: Английский

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Guidelines for the prediction of species interactions through binary classification

Methods in Ecology and Evolution, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 14(5), С. 1333 - 1345

Опубликована: Март 21, 2023

Abstract The prediction of species interactions is gaining momentum as a way to circumvent limitations in data volume. Yet, ecological networks are challenging predict because they typically small and sparse. Dealing with extreme class imbalance challenge for most binary classifiers, there currently no guidelines how predictive models can be trained this specific problem. Using simple mathematical arguments numerical experiments which variety classifiers (for supervised learning) on simulated networks, we develop series related the choice measures use model selection, ways assemble training dataset. Neither classifier accuracy nor area under receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC‐AUC) informative performance interaction prediction. precision‐recall (PR‐AUC) fairer assessment performance. In some cases, even standard lead selecting more biased effect connectance strong. amount correction apply dataset depends network connectance, measure optimized, only weakly classifier. These results reveal that machines task, virtually all composition set needs fine‐tuned before performing actual training. We discuss these consequences context low volume data.

Язык: Английский

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Non‐random interactions within and across guilds shape the potential to coexist in multi‐trophic ecological communities

Ecology Letters, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 26(6), С. 831 - 842

Опубликована: Март 27, 2023

Theory posits that the persistence of species in ecological communities is shaped by their interactions within and across trophic guilds. However, we lack empirical evaluations how structure, strength sign biotic drive potential to coexist diverse multi-trophic communities. Here, model community feasibility domains, a theoretically informed measure multi-species coexistence probability, from grassland comprising more than 45 on average three guilds (plants, pollinators herbivores). Contrary our hypothesis, increasing complexity, measured either as number or richness, did not decrease feasibility. Rather, observed high degrees self-regulation niche partitioning allow for maintaining larger levels higher Our results show are random nature both structures significantly contribute diversity.

Язык: Английский

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Pollinator declines and the stability of plant–pollinator networks

Ecosphere, Год журнала: 2020, Номер 11(4)

Опубликована: Апрель 1, 2020

Abstract Population declines of pollinators constitute a major concern for the fate biodiversity and associated ecosystem services in context global change. Massive pollinator populations driven by habitat loss, pollution, climate change have been reported, whose consequences at community levels remain elusive. We conducted mathematical modeling computer simulation study to assess dynamic plants pollinators. Specifically, we evaluated effects increased mortality decreased carrying capacity specialist vs. generalist effective ineffective visiting on long‐term biomass species persistence. Our results reveal that larval competition space among larvae had greatest impacts decline diversity. In contrast, largest sustained decreases were adult spite small increase Decreased diversity led turn plant Attacking with high degree connected mostly low‐degree produced losses Pollinator effectiveness no noticeable effect illuminate our understanding maintenance biodiversity.

Язык: Английский

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Plant–pollinator network structural properties differentially affect pollen transfer dynamics and pollination success

Oecologia, Год журнала: 2020, Номер 192(4), С. 1037 - 1045

Опубликована: Апрель 1, 2020

Язык: Английский

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