Species Abundance, Not Diet Breadth, Drives the Persistence of the Most Linked Pollinators as Plant-Pollinator Networks Disassemble

Winfree, Rachael; Williams, Neal M.; Dushoff, Jonathan; Kremen, Claire

doi:10.1086/675716

Cited by 62 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Reliance of the symbiotic network on the most common hosts has earlier been demonstrated for aboveground mutualistic systems, such as plant–pollinator networks (Ponisio, Gaiarsa, & Kremen, ). Furthermore, Winfree, Williams, Dushoff, and Kremen () showed that network robustness in plant–pollinator systems is largely reliant on the most common plant species. However, the larger scale relationship between plant rarity and root AM fungal community composition remains to be addressed by future studies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non‐random association patterns in a plant–mycorrhizal fungal network reveal host–symbiont specificity

et al. 2018

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Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are obligate plant symbionts that have important functions in most terrestrial ecosystems, but there remains an incomplete understanding of host–fungus specificity and the relationships between species and functional groups of plants and AM fungi. Here, we aimed to provide a comprehensive description of plant–AM fungal interactions in a biodiverse semi‐natural grassland. We sampled all plant species in a 1,000‐m2 homogeneous plot of dry calcareous grassland in two seasons (summer and autumn) and identified root‐colonizing AM fungi by SSU rDNA sequencing. In the network of 33 plant and 100 AM fungal species, we found a significant effect of both host plant species and host plant functional group on AM fungal richness and community composition. Comparison with network null models revealed a larger‐than‐random degree of partner selectivity among plants. Grasses harboured a larger number of AM fungal partners and were more generalist in partner selection, compared with forbs. More generalist partner association and lower specialization were apparent among obligately, compared with facultatively, mycorrhizal plant species and among locally more abundant plant species. This study provides the most complete data set of co‐occurring plant and AM fungal taxa to date, showing that at this particular site, the interaction network is assembled non‐randomly, with moderate selectivity in associations between plant species and functional groups and their fungal symbionts.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non‐random association patterns in a plant–mycorrhizal fungal network reveal host–symbiont specificity

et al. 2018

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“…; Winfree et al . ), which approximates the number of plant species from which a given pollinator species would have been observed visiting, given sufficient sampling.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opportunistic attachment assembles plant–pollinator networks

2017

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Species and interactions are being lost at alarming rates and it is imperative to understand how communities assemble if we have to prevent their collapse and restore lost interactions. Using an 8-year dataset comprising nearly 20 000 pollinator visitation records, we explore the assembly of plant-pollinator communities at native plant restoration sites in an agricultural landscape. We find that species occupy highly dynamic network positions through time, causing the assembly process to be punctuated by major network reorganisations. The most persistent pollinator species are also the most variable in their network positions, contrary to what preferential attachment - the most widely studied theory of ecological network assembly - predicts. Instead, we suggest assembly occurs via an opportunistic attachment process. Our results contribute to our understanding of how communities assembly and how species interactions change through time while helping to inform efforts to reassemble robust communities.

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“…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%

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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Species Abundance, Not Diet Breadth, Drives the Persistence of the Most Linked Pollinators as Plant-Pollinator Networks Disassemble

Cited by 62 publications

References 40 publications

Non‐random association patterns in a plant–mycorrhizal fungal network reveal host–symbiont specificity

Non‐random association patterns in a plant–mycorrhizal fungal network reveal host–symbiont specificity

Opportunistic attachment assembles plant–pollinator networks

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

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