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Mubamba S, Nduna N, Siachoono S, Chibesa M, Phiri D, Chama L. Plant-frugivore networks are robust to species loss even in highly built-up urban ecosystems. Oecologia 2022; 199:637-648. [PMID: 35781743 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05213-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Animal seed dispersal processes are an important aspect of ecosystem services, as they shape the survival of seed dispersers and the balanced distribution of propagules for many plant communities. Several studies within tropical wild ecosystems have generally shown that seed dispersal processes are highly generalised and robust to extinction. Studies examining seed dispersal networks in highly built-up urban ecosystems and their robustness to species loss or extinction are rare. We examined avian seed dispersal networks across an urban ecosystem characterised by a high human settlement and infrastructure of the built environment in Zambia to determine their network specialisation, interaction evenness and interaction diversity, as these three parameters are critical in driving the resilience of these mutualisms' interactions against extinction. A total of 405 individuals representing 11 species of birds were observed and recorded feeding on a total of 11 focal fleshy-fruiting plant species. Network specialisation was generally low and remained similar across study areas. Interaction evenness and interaction diversity were not only high but also remained similar across study areas. Low specialisation and high interaction evenness and diversity show that mutualistic interactions in these networks are equally highly generalised, suggesting a stable and robust coexistence of species in plant-frugivore communities within urban ecosystems. Generally, our results seem to broadly suggest that opportunities for conservation still exist in these ecosystems provided urbanisation is accompanied by promoting either the management of remnant fruiting plants or the cultivation of new ones to support the avian communities existing in these areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saidy Mubamba
- Department of Zoology, Copperbelt University, Jambo Drive, Riverside, P.O. Box 21692, Kitwe, Zambia
| | - Norman Nduna
- Department of Zoology, Copperbelt University, Jambo Drive, Riverside, P.O. Box 21692, Kitwe, Zambia
| | - Stanford Siachoono
- Department of Zoology, Copperbelt University, Jambo Drive, Riverside, P.O. Box 21692, Kitwe, Zambia
| | - Moses Chibesa
- Department of Zoology, Copperbelt University, Jambo Drive, Riverside, P.O. Box 21692, Kitwe, Zambia
| | - Darius Phiri
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Copperbelt University, Jambo Drive, Riverside, P.O. Box 21692, Kitwe, Zambia
| | - Lackson Chama
- Department of Zoology, Copperbelt University, Jambo Drive, Riverside, P.O. Box 21692, Kitwe, Zambia.
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Corro EJ, Villalobos F, Lira-Noriega A, Guevara R, Dáttilo W. Current climate and latitude shape the structure of bat-fruit interaction networks throughout the Neotropical region. ECOSCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2021.2007644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erick J. Corro
- Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, Mexico
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Veracruzana, Córdoba, Mexico
| | | | - Andrés Lira-Noriega
- CONACYT Research Fellow, Red de Estudios Moleculares Avanzados, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Roger Guevara
- Red de Biología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Wesley Dáttilo
- Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, Mexico
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Raji IA, Downs CT. Ficus-frugivore interactions, especially in areas of land-use change, in Africa: A systematic review. ACTA OECOLOGICA 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2021.103774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Jain A, Page NV, Rawat GS, Naniwadekar R. Are fragments fruitful? A comparison of plant–seed disperser communities between fragments and contiguous forest in north‐east India. Biotropica 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Abir Jain
- Wildlife Institute of India Dehradun India
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Gelmi-Candusso TA, Hämäläinen AM. Seeds and the City: The Interdependence of Zoochory and Ecosystem Dynamics in Urban Environments. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
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García D, Donoso I, Rodríguez‐Pérez J. Frugivore biodiversity and complementarity in interaction networks enhance landscape‐scale seed dispersal function. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel García
- Depto. Biología de Organismos y Sistemas Universidad de Oviedo, and Unidad Mixta de Investigación en Biodiversidad (CSIC‐Uo‐PA) Oviedo Spain
| | - Isabel Donoso
- Depto. Biología de Organismos y Sistemas Universidad de Oviedo, and Unidad Mixta de Investigación en Biodiversidad (CSIC‐Uo‐PA) Oviedo Spain
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt (Main) Germany
| | - Javier Rodríguez‐Pérez
- Depto. Biología de Organismos y Sistemas Universidad de Oviedo, and Unidad Mixta de Investigación en Biodiversidad (CSIC‐Uo‐PA) Oviedo Spain
- Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos Universidade de Évora Évora Portugal
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Fruit traits and temporal abundance shape plant-frugivore interaction networks in a seasonal tropical forest. Naturwissenschaften 2018; 105:29. [PMID: 29610984 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-018-1556-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Revised: 03/17/2018] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Interactions between fleshy fruited plants and frugivores are crucial for the structuring and functioning of biotic communities, particularly in tropical forests where both groups are diverse and play different roles in network organization. However, it remains poorly understood how different groups of frugivore species and fruit traits contribute to network structure. We recorded interactions among 28 plant species and three groups of frugivores (birds, bats, and non-flying mammals) in a seasonal forest in Mexico to determine which species contribute more to network structure and evaluate the importance of each species. We also determined whether fruit abundance, water content, morphology traits, and fruiting phenology are related to network parameters: the number of interactions, species contribution to nestedness, and species strength. We found that plants did not depend on a single group of frugivores, but rather on one species of each group: the bird Pitangus sulphuratus, the bat Sturnira parvidens, and the non-flying mammal Procyon lotor. The abundance, size, and water content of the fruits were significantly related to the contribution to nestedness, number of interactions, and species strength index of plant species. Tree species and birds contributed mainly to the nested structure of the network. We show that the structure of plant-frugivore networks in this seasonal forest is non-random and that fruit traits (i.e., abundance, phenology, size, and water content) are important factors shaping plant-frugivore networks. Identification of the key species and their traits that maintain the complex structure of species interactions is therefore fundamental for the integral conservation of tropical forests.
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Ramos-Robles M, Andresen E, Díaz-Castelazo C. Temporal changes in the structure of a plant-frugivore network are influenced by bird migration and fruit availability. PeerJ 2016; 4:e2048. [PMID: 27330852 PMCID: PMC4906665 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2015] [Accepted: 04/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background. Ecological communities are dynamic collections whose composition and structure change over time, making up complex interspecific interaction networks. Mutualistic plant–animal networks can be approached through complex network analysis; these networks are characterized by a nested structure consisting of a core of generalist species, which endows the network with stability and robustness against disturbance. Those mutualistic network structures can vary as a consequence of seasonal fluctuations and food availability, as well as the arrival of new species into the system that might disorder the mutualistic network structure (e.g., a decrease in nested pattern). However, there is no assessment on how the arrival of migratory species into seasonal tropical systems can modify such patterns. Emergent and fine structural temporal patterns are adressed here for the first time for plant-frugivorous bird networks in a highly seasonal tropical environment. Methods. In a plant-frugivorous bird community, we analyzed the temporal turnover of bird species comprising the network core and periphery of ten temporal interaction networks resulting from different bird migration periods. Additionally, we evaluated how fruit abundance and richness, as well as the arrival of migratory birds into the system, explained the temporal changes in network parameters such as network size, connectance, nestedness, specialization, interaction strength asymmetry and niche overlap. The analysis included data from 10 quantitative plant-frugivorous bird networks registered from November 2013 to November 2014. Results. We registered a total of 319 interactions between 42 plant species and 44 frugivorous bird species; only ten bird species were part of the network core. We witnessed a noteworthy turnover of the species comprising the network periphery during migration periods, as opposed to the network core, which did not show significant temporal changes in species composition. Our results revealed that migration and fruit richness explain the temporal variations in network size, connectance, nestedness and interaction strength asymmetry. On the other hand, fruit abundance only explained connectance and nestedness. Discussion. By means of a fine-resolution temporal analysis, we evidenced for the first time how temporal changes in the interaction network structure respond to the arrival of migratory species into the system and to fruit availability. Additionally, few migratory bird species are important links for structuring networks, while most of them were peripheral species. We showed the relevance of studying bird–plant interactions at fine temporal scales, considering changing scenarios of species composition with a quantitative network approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Ramos-Robles
- Red de Interacciones Multitróficas, Instituto de Ecología, A. C. Xalapa , Veracruz , México
| | - Ellen Andresen
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Morelia , Michoacán , México
| | - Cecilia Díaz-Castelazo
- Red de Interacciones Multitróficas, Instituto de Ecología, A. C. Xalapa , Veracruz , México
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Tinoco BA, Graham CH, Aguilar JM, Schleuning M. Effects of hummingbird morphology on specialization in pollination networks vary with resource availability. OIKOS 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.02998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Boris A. Tinoco
- Dept of Ecology and Evolution; Stony Brook University; 650 Life Sciences Building Stony Brook NY11794 USA
- Escuela de Biología, Ecología y Gestión; Univ. del Azuay; Cuenca Ecuador
| | - Catherine H. Graham
- Dept of Ecology and Evolution; Stony Brook University; 650 Life Sciences Building Stony Brook NY11794 USA
| | - Juan M. Aguilar
- Escuela de Biología, Ecología y Gestión; Univ. del Azuay; Cuenca Ecuador
| | - Matthias Schleuning
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F); Frankfurt am Main Germany
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Donoso I, García D, Rodríguez‐Pérez J, Martínez D. Incorporating seed fate into plant–frugivore networks increases interaction diversity across plant regeneration stages. OIKOS 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.02509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Donoso
- Depto. Biología de Organismos y Sistemas Univ. de Oviedo, and Unidad Mixta de Investigación en Biodiversidad (UMIB, CSIC‐Uo‐PA) ES‐33071 Oviedo Spain
| | - Daniel García
- Depto. Biología de Organismos y Sistemas Univ. de Oviedo, and Unidad Mixta de Investigación en Biodiversidad (UMIB, CSIC‐Uo‐PA) ES‐33071 Oviedo Spain
| | - Javier Rodríguez‐Pérez
- Depto. Biología de Organismos y Sistemas Univ. de Oviedo, and Unidad Mixta de Investigación en Biodiversidad (UMIB, CSIC‐Uo‐PA) ES‐33071 Oviedo Spain
| | - Daniel Martínez
- Depto. Biología de Organismos y Sistemas Univ. de Oviedo, and Unidad Mixta de Investigación en Biodiversidad (UMIB, CSIC‐Uo‐PA) ES‐33071 Oviedo Spain
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Hernández-Montero JR, Saldaña-Vázquez RA, Galindo-González J, Sosa VJ. Bat-fruit interactions are more specialized in shaded-coffee plantations than in tropical mountain cloud forest fragments. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0126084. [PMID: 25992550 PMCID: PMC4436294 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0126084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2014] [Accepted: 03/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Forest disturbance causes specialization of plant-frugivore networks and jeopardizes mutualistic interactions through reduction of ecological redundancy. To evaluate how simplification of a forest into an agroecosystem affects plant-disperser mutualistic interactions, we compared bat-fruit interaction indexes of specialization in tropical montane cloud forest fragments (TMCF) and shaded-coffee plantations (SCP). Bat-fruit interactions were surveyed by collection of bat fecal samples. Bat-fruit interactions were more specialized in SCP (mean H2 ' = 0.55) compared to TMCF fragments (mean H2 ' = 0.27), and were negatively correlated to bat abundance in SCP (R = -0.35). The number of shared plant species was higher in the TMCF fragments (mean = 1) compared to the SCP (mean = 0.51) and this was positively correlated to the abundance of frugivorous bats (R= 0.79). The higher specialization in SCP could be explained by lower bat abundance and lower diet overlap among bats. Coffee farmers and conservation policy makers must increase the proportion of land assigned to TMCF within agroecosystem landscapes in order to conserve frugivorous bats and their invaluable seed dispersal service.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús R. Hernández-Montero
- Instituto de Biotecnología y Ecología Aplicada (INBIOTECA), Universidad Veracruzana, Av. de las Culturas Veracruzanas No. 101, Col. E. Zapata, CP 91090, Xalapa, Veracruz, México
- Red de Ecología Funcional, Instituto de Ecología A.C. Apdo, Postal 63, CP 91000, Xalapa, Veracruz, México
| | - Romeo A. Saldaña-Vázquez
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Paisajes Fragmentados, Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Antigua carretera a Pátzcuaro No. 8701, Ex-Hacienda de San José de la Huerta, 58190, Morelia, Michoacán, México
- * E-mail:
| | - Jorge Galindo-González
- Instituto de Biotecnología y Ecología Aplicada (INBIOTECA), Universidad Veracruzana, Av. de las Culturas Veracruzanas No. 101, Col. E. Zapata, CP 91090, Xalapa, Veracruz, México
| | - Vinicio J. Sosa
- Red de Ecología Funcional, Instituto de Ecología A.C. Apdo, Postal 63, CP 91000, Xalapa, Veracruz, México
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Grass I, Berens DG, Farwig N. Guild-specific shifts in visitation rates of frugivores with habitat loss and plant invasion. OIKOS 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2013.00920.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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