Phenology drives mutualistic network structure and diversity

Encinas‐Viso, Francisco; Revilla, Tomás A.; Etienne, Rampal S.

doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01726.x

Cited by 144 publications

(144 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Greater phenological overlap in birds and plants led to greater number of interactions between pairs of species. The importance of phenology in explaining pairwise interactions has also been found in other studies, but was still found to be a poor predictor of observed interactions in some cases (Encinas-Viso, Revilla & Etienne, 2012; Olito & Fox, 2015). …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

“…Species extinction can be preceded by the extinction of species interactions, so this study contributes to show how network theory can help to explain the web of life in an ecosystem (Bascompte & Jordano, 2014). In recent years, new analytical approaches have facilitated asking questions about the processes that drive network properties (Vazquez, Chacoff & Cagnolo, 2009; Encinas-Viso, Revilla & Etienne, 2012; Winfree et al, 2014; Vizentin-Bugoni, Maruyama & Sazima, 2014; Olito & Fox, 2015). Two main hypotheses—neutrality and biological constraints—have emerged in these network studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Species interactions in an Andean bird–flowering plant network: phenology is more important than abundance or morphology

González

Loiselle

2016

PeerJ

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Biological constraints and neutral processes have been proposed to explain the properties of plant–pollinator networks. Using interactions between nectarivorous birds (hummingbirds and flowerpiercers) and flowering plants in high elevation forests (i.e., “elfin” forests) of the Andes, we explore the importance of biological constraints and neutral processes (random interactions) to explain the observed species interactions and network metrics, such as connectance, specialization, nestedness and asymmetry. In cold environments of elfin forests, which are located at the top of the tropical montane forest zone, many plants are adapted for pollination by birds, making this an ideal system to study plant–pollinator networks. To build the network of interactions between birds and plants, we used direct field observations. We measured abundance of birds using mist-nets and flower abundance using transects, and phenology by scoring presence of birds and flowers over time. We compared the length of birds’ bills to flower length to identify “forbidden interactions”—those interactions that could not result in legitimate floral visits based on mis-match in morphology. Diglossa flowerpiercers, which are characterized as “illegitimate” flower visitors, were relatively abundant. We found that the elfin forest network was nested with phenology being the factor that best explained interaction frequencies and nestedness, providing support for biological constraints hypothesis. We did not find morphological constraints to be important in explaining observed interaction frequencies and network metrics. Other network metrics (connectance, evenness and asymmetry), however, were better predicted by abundance (neutral process) models. Flowerpiercers, which cut holes and access flowers at their base and, consequently, facilitate nectar access for other hummingbirds, explain why morphological mis-matches were relatively unimportant in this system. Future work should focus on how changes in abundance and phenology, likely results of climate change and habitat fragmentation, and the role of nectar robbers impact ecological and evolutionary dynamics of plant–pollinator (or flower-visitor) interactions.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species interactions in an Andean bird–flowering plant network: phenology is more important than abundance or morphology

González

Loiselle

2016

PeerJ

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“…3). A change in coflowering represents altered interaction potential (27), which can affect various ecological processes (19). Increased coflowering between plant species can exacerbate direct interspecific competition for abiotic resources (28) and can affect plant reproductive success indirectly via competition for or facilitation of pollination (29,30).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifts in flowering phenology reshape a subalpine plant community

CaraDonna

Iler

Inouye

2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

478

610

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Phenology-the timing of biological events-is highly sensitive to climate change. However, our general understanding of how phenology responds to climate change is based almost solely on incomplete assessments of phenology (such as first date of flowering) rather than on entire phenological distributions. Using a uniquely comprehensive 39-y flowering phenology dataset from the Colorado Rocky Mountains that contains more than 2 million flower counts, we reveal a diversity of species-level phenological shifts that bring into question the accuracy of previous estimates of long-term phenological change. For 60 species, we show that first, peak, and last flowering rarely shift uniformly and instead usually shift independently of one another, resulting in a diversity of phenological changes through time. Shifts in the timing of first flowering on average overestimate the magnitude of shifts in the timing of peak flowering, fail to predict shifts in the timing of last flowering, and underrepresent the number of species changing phenology in this plant community. Ultimately, this diversity of species-level phenological shifts contributes to altered coflowering patterns within the community, a redistribution of floral abundance across the season, and an expansion of the flowering season by more than I mo during the course of our study period. These results demonstrate the substantial reshaping of ecological communities that can be attributed to shifts in phenology.growing season | no-analogue community | phenological mismatch | phenology curve | species interactions P henology, the timing of biological events, is intimately tied to the reproduction and survival of organisms (1). Phenological events generally are occurring earlier in temperate environments in accordance with climate change, although several recent studies have emphasized species-specificity in the direction and magnitude of change (2-5). The great majority of these longterm datasets contain a single measure of phenology for individual species, most often the first day on which a biological event is observed (i.e., "phenological firsts" such as first flowering) (Fig. 1A). In addition to phenological firsts, basic components of an entire phenological response include the timing of the ending of a biological event and details of intermediate stages, such as the timing and magnitude of peak abundance or activity (Fig. 1A). Given that phenological firsts represent the early tail of a population-level response, most assessments of phenological change to date may provide an incomplete view of the magnitude of change, the number of responsive species, and how species-level shifts contribute to change at higher levels of biological organization.We have amassed a unique long-term record of flowering phenology that allows us to investigate complete phenological responses for a plant community. Over a 39-y period , we have sampled a montane site (2,900 m elevation) in Colorado, USA, counting the total number of flowers of 121 plant species across a series of permanent...

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“…Fruiting phenology is an important constraint of plantdisperser interactions [53], although knowledge regarding fruiting phenology of most Galápagos plants is very limited. The pattern described here of sequential ripening of native fruits in the Galápagos is compatible with an inter-specific strategy to avoid satiation of dispersers, in line with what has been suggested for asynchronous fruit ripening within conspecific plants [54].…”

Section: (A) the Role Of Different Vertebrates As Seed Dispersersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seed dispersal networks in the Galápagos and the consequences of alien plant invasions

et al. 2013

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Alien plants are a growing threat to the Galápagos unique biota. We evaluated the impact of alien plants on eight seed dispersal networks from two islands of the archipelago. Nearly 10 000 intact seeds from 58 species were recovered from the droppings of 18 bird and reptile dispersers. The most dispersed invaders were Lantana camara, Rubus niveus and Psidium guajava, the latter two likely benefiting from an asynchronous fruit production with most native plants, which facilitate their consumption and spread. Lava lizards dispersed the seeds of 27 species, being the most important dispersers, followed by small ground finch, two mockingbirds, the giant tortoise and two insectivorous birds. Most animals dispersed alien seeds, but these formed a relatively small proportion of the interactions. Nevertheless, the integration of aliens was higher in the island that has been invaded for longest, suggesting a time-lag between alien plant introductions and their impacts on seed dispersal networks. Alien plants become more specialized with advancing invasion, favouring more simplified plant and disperser communities. However, only habitat type significantly affected the overall network structure. Alien plants were dispersed via two pathways: dryfruited plants were preferentially dispersed by finches, while fleshy fruited species were mostly dispersed by other birds and reptiles.

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Phenology drives mutualistic network structure and diversity

Cited by 144 publications

References 52 publications

Species interactions in an Andean bird–flowering plant network: phenology is more important than abundance or morphology

Species interactions in an Andean bird–flowering plant network: phenology is more important than abundance or morphology

Shifts in flowering phenology reshape a subalpine plant community

Seed dispersal networks in the Galápagos and the consequences of alien plant invasions

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