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Zhang Y, Holyoak M, Zhang Z, Liu R, Hao X, Chen J, Yan C. The network architecture and phylogeographic drivers of interactions between rodents and seed plants at continental scales. J Anim Ecol 2025; 94:760-773. [PMID: 39967252 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.70013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2025] [Indexed: 02/20/2025]
Abstract
Rodents are known to interact with seed plants in three different ways, including predation in situ, scatter hoarding and larder hoarding of seeds. These behaviours span a spectrum from mutualistic seed dispersal to predation, and they are related to species' and environmental characteristics. We used interaction networks to evaluate the structure and drivers of rodent-seed plant interactions, including geography, phylogeny and traits at continental scales. We constructed five aggregated networks, each representing a continent and containing three subnetworks defined by foraging behaviours, tested questions about their network structures and analysed the driving signals shaping rodent-seed plant interactions at network and species levels. Rodent-seed plant networks varied across continents. We found most rodents exhibited a significant propensity for one foraging behaviour and detected significant modular structures in both aggregated networks and subnetworks. We detected significant co-phylogenetic signals between rodents and seed plants. Distance matrix-based regressions on interaction and module dissimilarity of rodents suggest geographical and phylogenetic forces are important in the assembly of rodent-seed plant networks. In addition, multiple species traits correlated with the roles of rodents within aggregated networks; however, the specific traits associated with these roles varied among interaction types. Our results highlight that geography and phylogenetics are dominant in structuring the architecture of rodent-seed plant networks at continental scales and reveal challenges regarding spatial and taxa coverage in rodent-seed plant interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongjun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Marcel Holyoak
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Zhibin Zhang
- College of Ecology, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Rui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiyang Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jiani Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Chuan Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
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3
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Salgado-Roa FC, Stuart-Fox D, White TE, Medina I. Colour polymorphism is prevalent on islands but shows no association with range size in web-building spiders. J Evol Biol 2024; 37:1345-1355. [PMID: 39291872 DOI: 10.1093/jeb/voae118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 08/26/2024] [Accepted: 09/16/2024] [Indexed: 09/19/2024]
Abstract
One of the most evident sources of phenotypic diversity within a population is colouration, as exemplified by colour polymorphism. This is relevant to a greater extent in animals with visually biased sensory systems. There is substantial evidence suggesting that different colour morphs can access a broader range of habitats or niches, leading to larger geographic range sizes. However, this hypothesis has been tested in few lineages, comprising species where colour is likely to be involved in sexual selection. Furthermore, some available evidence considers geographical variation as polymorphism, thus limiting our comprehension of how sympatric colour polymorphism can influence a species' geographic range. Through an extensive systematic literature review and a comparative analysis, we examined the relationship between colour polymorphism and range size or niche breadth in web-building spiders. We identified 140 colour polymorphic spider species, belonging mainly to the families Araneidae and Theridiidae. We found no evidence that colour polymorphic species differ significantly from non-polymorphic species in terms of range size and niche breadth, after accounting for phylogenetic relationships and other covariates. However, we did observe that colour polymorphic species were more likely to be found on islands compared to non-polymorphic species. Overall, our results indicate that the association between colour polymorphism and geographic range size may not exist among web-building spiders, or be as pronounced as in other lineages. This suggests that the strength of the association between colour polymorphism and ecological success might depend on the ecological role that colouration plays in each clade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian C Salgado-Roa
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Devi Stuart-Fox
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Thomas E White
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia
| | - Iliana Medina
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
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4
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Dansereau G, Barros C, Poisot T. Spatially explicit predictions of food web structure from regional-level data. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230166. [PMID: 39034704 PMCID: PMC11293859 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Knowledge about how ecological networks vary across global scales is currently limited given the complexity of acquiring repeated spatial data for species interactions. Yet, recent developments in metawebs highlight efficient ways to first document possible interactions within regional species pools. Downscaling metawebs towards local network predictions is a promising approach to using the current data to investigate the variation of networks across space. However, issues remain in how to represent the spatial variability and uncertainty of species interactions, especially for large-scale food webs. Here, we present a probabilistic framework to downscale a metaweb based on the Canadian mammal metaweb and species occurrences from global databases. We investigated how our approach can be used to represent the variability of networks and communities between ecoregions in Canada. Species richness and interactions followed a similar latitudinal gradient across ecoregions but simultaneously identified contrasting diversity hotspots. Network motifs revealed additional areas of variation in network structure compared with species richness and number of links. Our method offers the potential to bring global predictions down to a more actionable local scale, and increases the diversity of ecological networks that can be projected in space. This article is part of the theme issue 'Connected interactions: enriching food web research by spatial and social interactions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Dansereau
- Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QuebecH2V 0B3, Canada
- Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science, Montréal, QuebecH3A 1B1, Canada
| | - Ceres Barros
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British ColumbiaV6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Timothée Poisot
- Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QuebecH2V 0B3, Canada
- Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science, Montréal, QuebecH3A 1B1, Canada
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5
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Martins LP, Stouffer DB, Blendinger PG, Böhning-Gaese K, Costa JM, Dehling DM, Donatti CI, Emer C, Galetti M, Heleno R, Menezes Í, Morante-Filho JC, Muñoz MC, Neuschulz EL, Pizo MA, Quitián M, Ruggera RA, Saavedra F, Santillán V, Schleuning M, da Silva LP, Ribeiro da Silva F, Tobias JA, Traveset A, Vollstädt MGR, Tylianakis JM. Birds optimize fruit size consumed near their geographic range limits. Science 2024; 385:331-336. [PMID: 39024457 DOI: 10.1126/science.adj1856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Animals can adjust their diet to maximize energy or nutritional intake. For example, birds often target fruits that match their beak size because those fruits can be consumed more efficiently. We hypothesized that pressure to optimize diet-measured as matching between fruit and beak size-increases under stressful environments, such as those that determine species' range edges. Using fruit-consumption and trait information for 97 frugivorous bird and 831 plant species across six continents, we demonstrate that birds feed more frequently on closely size-matched fruits near their geographic range limits. This pattern was particularly strong for highly frugivorous birds, whereas opportunistic frugivores showed no such tendency. These findings highlight how frugivore interactions might respond to stressful conditions and reveal that trait matching may not predict resource use consistently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas P Martins
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Daniel B Stouffer
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Pedro G Blendinger
- Instituto de Ecología Regional, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán and CONICET, CC 34, 4107 Tucumán, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Miguel Lillo 2005, 4000 Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Katrin Böhning-Gaese
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, 60439 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - José Miguel Costa
- Centre for Functional Ecology, Associate Laboratory TERRA, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - D Matthias Dehling
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton Campus, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Camila I Donatti
- Conservation International, Arlington, VA 22202, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5640, USA
| | - Carine Emer
- Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden Research Institute, Rua Pacheco Leão 915, Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22460-030, Brazil
- Center for Reseach on Biodiversity and Climate Change (CBioClima), Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rio Claro, SP 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Mauro Galetti
- Center for Reseach on Biodiversity and Climate Change (CBioClima), Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rio Claro, SP 13506-900, Brazil
- Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center, Florida International University (FIU), Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Ruben Heleno
- Centre for Functional Ecology, Associate Laboratory TERRA, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ícaro Menezes
- Applied Conservation Ecology Lab, Santa Cruz State University, Rodovia Ilhéus- Itabuna, km 16, Salobrinho, Ilhéus, BA 45662-000, Brazil
| | - José Carlos Morante-Filho
- Applied Conservation Ecology Lab, Santa Cruz State University, Rodovia Ilhéus- Itabuna, km 16, Salobrinho, Ilhéus, BA 45662-000, Brazil
| | - Marcia C Muñoz
- Programa de Biología, Universidad de La Salle, Carrera 2 # 10-70, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Eike Lena Neuschulz
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Marco Aurélio Pizo
- Center for Reseach on Biodiversity and Climate Change (CBioClima), Department of Biodiversity, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rio Claro, SP 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Marta Quitián
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Systematic Zoology Laboratory, Tokyo Metropolitan University TMU, Tokyo, 1-1 Minami-Osawa, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
- Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados (CSIC-UIB), Miquel Marqués 21, 07190 Esporles, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
| | - Roman A Ruggera
- Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas - Universidad Nacional de Jujuy), Canónigo Gorriti 237, Y4600 San Salvador de Jujuy, Jujuy, Argentina
- Cátedra de Diversidad Biológica III, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, Alberdi 47, Y4600 San Salvador de Jujuy, Jujuy, Argentina
| | - Francisco Saavedra
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Instituto de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Puras y Naturales, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La Paz, Bolivia
| | - Vinicio Santillán
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Unidad Académica de Posgrado, Universidad Católica de Cuenca, Av. de las Américas, Cuenca, Ecuador
| | - Matthias Schleuning
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Luís Pascoal da Silva
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Fernanda Ribeiro da Silva
- Laboratory of Ecology and Management of Forest Ecosystems, University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Trindade, Florianópolis, SC 88040-900, Brazil
| | - Joseph A Tobias
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Anna Traveset
- Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados (CSIC-UIB), Miquel Marqués 21, 07190 Esporles, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
| | - Maximilian G R Vollstädt
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados (CSIC-UIB), Miquel Marqués 21, 07190 Esporles, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
- Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Oester Voldgade 5-7, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Jason M Tylianakis
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, Aotearoa New Zealand
- Bioprotection Aotearoa, University of Canterbury, Private bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, Aotearoa New Zealand
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6
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Martins LP, Garcia-Callejas D, Lai HR, Wootton KL, Tylianakis JM. The propagation of disturbances in ecological networks. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:558-570. [PMID: 38402007 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.01.009] [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: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
Despite the development of network science, we lack clear heuristics for how far different disturbance types propagate within and across species interaction networks. We discuss the mechanisms of disturbance propagation in ecological networks, and propose that disturbances can be categorized into structural, functional, and transmission types according to their spread and effect on network structure and functioning. We describe the properties of species and their interaction networks and metanetworks that determine the indirect, spatial, and temporal extent of propagation. We argue that the sampling scale of ecological studies may have impeded predictions regarding the rate and extent that a disturbance spreads, and discuss directions to help ecologists to move towards a predictive understanding of the propagation of impacts across interacting communities and ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas P Martins
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, Aotearoa New Zealand.
| | - David Garcia-Callejas
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Hao Ran Lai
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, Aotearoa New Zealand; Bioprotection Aotearoa, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Kate L Wootton
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Jason M Tylianakis
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, Aotearoa New Zealand; Bioprotection Aotearoa, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, Aotearoa New Zealand
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7
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Rehling F, Jongejans E, Schlautmann J, Albrecht J, Fassbender H, Jaroszewicz B, Matthies D, Waldschmidt L, Farwig N, Schabo DG. Common seed dispersers contribute most to the persistence of a fleshy-fruited tree. Commun Biol 2023; 6:330. [PMID: 36973362 PMCID: PMC10043030 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04647-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutualistic interactions are by definition beneficial for each contributing partner. However, it is insufficiently understood how mutualistic interactions influence partners throughout their lives. Here, we used animal species-explicit, microhabitat-structured integral projection models to quantify the effect of seed dispersal by 20 animal species on the full life cycle of the tree Frangula alnus in Białowieża Forest, Eastern Poland. Our analysis showed that animal seed dispersal increased population growth by 2.5%. The effectiveness of animals as seed dispersers was strongly related to the interaction frequency but not the quality of seed dispersal. Consequently, the projected population decline due to simulated species extinction was driven by the loss of common rather than rare mutualist species. Our results support the notion that frequently interacting mutualists contribute most to the persistence of the populations of their partners, underscoring the role of common species for ecosystem functioning and nature conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Finn Rehling
- University of Marburg, Department of Biology, Conservation Ecology, Marburg, Germany.
- University of Marburg, Department of Biology, Animal Ecology, Marburg, Germany.
| | - Eelke Jongejans
- Radboud University, RIBES, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- NIOO-KNAW, Department of Animal Ecology, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Jan Schlautmann
- University of Marburg, Department of Biology, Conservation Ecology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Jörg Albrecht
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Hubert Fassbender
- University of Marburg, Department of Biology, Conservation Ecology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Bogdan Jaroszewicz
- University of Warsaw, Faculty of Biology, Białowieża Geobotanical Station, Białowieża, Poland
| | - Diethart Matthies
- University of Marburg, Department of Biology, Plant Ecology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Lina Waldschmidt
- University of Marburg, Department of Biology, Conservation Ecology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Nina Farwig
- University of Marburg, Department of Biology, Conservation Ecology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Dana G Schabo
- University of Marburg, Department of Biology, Conservation Ecology, Marburg, Germany
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