The role of bats in pollination networks is influenced by landscape structure

Sritongchuay, Tuanjit; Hughes, Alice C.; Bumrungsri, Sara

doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00702

Cited by 26 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…5, 6), which is problematic, as in such networks it is typically more difficult to identify nodes by visual than molecular means. Such issues will continue to be present in studies that either incorporate novel technologies such as cameras (Gray et al 2018, Sritongchuay et al 2019 a , b ), or avoid classifying nodes to species level and instead opt to classify them to nontaxonomic levels, such as functional groups. These results highlight the need for network ecologists to identify all nodes to uniform resolution with the greatest level of precision possible and importantly, to use identical methods and resolution for the comparisons of any networks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the impact of taxon resolution on network structure

Hemprich‐Bennett

Oliveira

Comber

et al. 2021

Ecology

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Constructing ecological networks has become an indispensable approach in understanding how different taxa interact. However, the methods used to generate data in network research vary widely among studies, potentially limiting our ability to compare results meaningfully. In particular, methods of classifying nodes vary in their precision, likely altering the architecture of the network studied. For example, rather than being classified as Linnaean species, taxa are regularly assigned to morphospecies in observational studies, or to molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) in molecular studies, with the latter defined based on an arbitrary threshold of sequence similarity. Although the use of MOTUs in ecological networks holds great potential, especially for allowing rapid construction of large data sets of interactions, it is unclear how the choice of clustering threshold can influence the conclusions obtained. To test the impact of taxonomic precision on network architecture, we obtained and analyzed 16 data sets of ecological interactions, inferred from metabarcoding and observations. Our comparisons of networks constructed under a range of sequence thresholds for assigning taxa demonstrate that even small changes in node resolution can cause wide variation in almost all key metric values. Moreover, relative values of commonly used metrics such as robustness were seen to fluctuate continuously with node resolution, thereby potentially causing error in conclusions drawn when comparing multiple networks. In observational networks, we found that changing node resolution could, in some cases, lead to substantial changes to measurements of network topology. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of classifying nodes to the greatest precision possible, and demonstrate the need for caution when comparing networks that differ with respect to node resolution, even where taxonomic groups and interaction types are similar. In such cases, we recommend that comparisons of networks should focus on relative differences rather than absolute values between the networks studied.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the impact of taxon resolution on network structure

Hemprich‐Bennett

Oliveira

Comber

et al. 2021

Ecology

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“…Due to the lack of morphological constraints of bat‐pollinated plants, mainly those with open flowers, bats and hawkmoths likely share some food‐plants. Ecologists have recently started to quantify community‐wide patterns of interaction in bat–plant (Sritongchuay et al., 2019; Stewart & Dudash, 2017) and hawkmoth–plant (Johnson et al., 2017; Sazatornil et al., 2016) pollination networks, but we still do not know the structure of the networks formed of both pollinator guilds together. To assess specialization in those mixed systems, we can use a network approach to gain insights on the structural characteristics of community‐wide mutualistic interactions, such as modularity (Olesen et al., 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bats and hawkmoths form mixed modules with flowering plants in a nocturnal interaction network

Queiroz¹,

Diniz

Vázquez

et al. 2020

Biotropica

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Based on the conceptual framework of pollination syndromes, pollination networks should be composed of well-delimited subgroups formed by plants that diverge in floral phenotypes and are visited by taxonomically different pollinators. Nevertheless, floral traits are not always accurate in predicting floral visitors. For instance, flowers adapted to bat-pollination are larger and wider, enabling the exploitation by other nocturnal animals, such as hawkmoths. Thus, should an interaction network comprising bats and hawkmoths, the most important nocturnal pollinators in the tropics, be formed of mixed-taxon modules due to cross-syndrome interactions? Here, we analyzed such a network to test whether resource plants are shared between the two taxa, and how modules differ in terms of species morphologies. We sampled interactions through pollen grains collected from floral visitors in a Caatinga dry forest in northeastern Brazil. The network was modular yet interwoven by cross-syndrome interactions. Hawkmoths showed no restriction to visit the wider chiropterophilous flowers. Furthermore, bats represented a subset of a hawkmoth-dominated network, as they were restricted to chiropterophilous flowers due to constraints in accessing narrower sphingophilous flowers. As such, the bat-dominated module encompassed relatively wider flowers, but hawkmoths, especially long-tongued ones, were unrestricted by floral width or length. Thus, pollination of flowers with open architectures must be investigated with caution, as they are accessible to a wide array of floral visitors, which may result in mixed-pollination systems. Future research should continue to integrate different syndromes and pollinator groups in order to reach a better understanding of how pollination-related functions emerge from community-level interactions.

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“…Documented food plants and foraging behaviour of this bat taxon provide clues that should direct future research. Twenty-one different plant species from eight plant families are now known to be pollinated by pteropodids Table 3; families Fabaceae, Lythraceae, Malvaceae, Musaceae and Myrtaceae appear to have particularly important coevolutionary relationships with bats, containing multiple species that are known to be almost entirely dependent on pteropodids for effective long-distance pollen transfer (Crome and Irvine, 1986;Elmqvist et al, 1992;Law and Lean, 1999;Birt, 2004;Boulter et al, 2005;Bumrungsri et al, 2008Bumrungsri et al, , 2009Bacles et al, 2009;Acharya et al, 2015;Groffen et al, 2016;Aziz et al, 2017c;Sheherazade et al, 2019;Sritongchuay et al, 2019). These plant taxa that have close associations with bats display characteristics of chiropterophily: flowers are light-coloured, large, presented on the periphery of the canopy and produce more nectar and pollen at night (Marshall, 1983).…”

Section: Pteropodids As Pollinatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At a community level, nectarivorous bats have been found to have higher network strength, abundance and generalised degree (number of interactions per species divided by the number of possible interacting partners; Sritongchuay et al, 2019) than other pteropodids. However, the temporal and spatial differences that these bats show in their feeding patterns, when compared to large bats such as Pteropus (Aziz et al, 2017c), could suggest complementary roles in pollination.…”

Section: Pteropodids As Pollinatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Critical Importance of Old World Fruit Bats for Healthy Ecosystems and Economies

Aziz¹,

McConkey

Tanalgo

et al. 2021

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Despite extensive documentation of the ecological and economic importance of Old World fruit bats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) and the many threats they face from humans, negative attitudes towards pteropodids have persisted, fuelled by perceptions of bats as being pests and undesirable neighbours. Such long-term negativity towards bats is now further exacerbated by more recent disease-related concerns, particularly associated with the current COVID-19 pandemic. There remains an urgent need to investigate and highlight the positive and beneficial aspects of bats across the Old World. While previous reviews have summarised these extensively, numerous new studies conducted over the last 36 years have provided further valuable data and insights which warrant an updated review. Here we synthesise research on pteropodid-plant interactions, comprising diet, ecological roles, and ecosystem services, conducted during 1985-2020. We uncovered a total of 311 studies covering 75 out of the known 201 pteropodid species (37%), conducted in 47 countries. The majority of studies documented diet (52% of all studies; 67 pteropodid species), followed by foraging movement (49%; 50 pteropodid species), with fewer studies directly investigating the roles played by pteropodids in seed dispersal (24%; 41 pteropodid species), pollination (14%; 19 pteropodid species), and conflict with fruit growers (12%; 11 pteropodid species). Pteropodids were recorded feeding on 1072 plant species from 493 genera and 148 families, with fruits comprising the majority of plant parts consumed, followed by flowers/nectar/pollen, leaves, and other miscellaneous parts. Sixteen pteropodid species have been confirmed to act as pollinators for a total of 21 plant species, and 29 pteropodid species have been confirmed to act as seed dispersers for a total of 311 plant species. Anthropogenic threats disrupting bat-plant interactions in the Old World include hunting, direct persecution, habitat loss/disturbance, invasive species, and climate change, leading to ecosystem-level repercussions. We identify notable research gaps and important research priorities to support conservation action for pteropodids.

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The role of bats in pollination networks is influenced by landscape structure

Cited by 26 publications

References 59 publications

Assessing the impact of taxon resolution on network structure

Assessing the impact of taxon resolution on network structure

Bats and hawkmoths form mixed modules with flowering plants in a nocturnal interaction network

The Critical Importance of Old World Fruit Bats for Healthy Ecosystems and Economies

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