Full text
| |
| Author(s): |
Flávia Maria Darcie Marquitti
Total Authors: 1
|
| Document type: | Doctoral Thesis |
| Press: | São Paulo. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Biociências (IBIOC/SB) |
| Defense date: | 2015-08-21 |
| Examining board members: |
Paulo Roberto Guimaraes Junior;
Marcus Aloizio Martinez de Aguiar;
Paulo Roberto de Araujo Campos;
Leonor Patrícia Cerdeira Morellato;
Jorge Manuel dos Santos Pacheco
|
| Advisor: | Paulo Roberto Guimaraes Junior |
| Abstract | |
Mutualisms are interactions in which organisms of different species exploit each other with net benefits for both interacting individuals. Multispecific mutualistic system can be depicted as interaction networks, such as those formed by plant-pollinator interactions, dispersal systems, species interacting in cleaning stations in reef environments, protective ants in plants, müllerian mimicry, and nitrogen fixing bacteria on the roots of plants. Mutualistic interaction is subject to cheating by individuals who, by means of a diversity of behavioral strategies, achieve the benefit provided by the partner offering nothing or few in return. However, the mutualistic interactions persist despite the existence of cheaters. In this work I show that the parasites of mutualistic interactions increase the resilience of mutualistic networks to disturbances in nested networks, typically found in species-rich mutualisms. Therefore the joint effect of cheating, structure and dynamics of mutualistic networks have implications for how biodiversity is maintained. I subsequently study the conditions under which tubular flowers, which suffer stronger damages when interacting with nectar robbers, can coexist with planar flowers, pollinators, and robbers through indirect effects of cheating on their reproductive success. The theft of nectar may increase the success of a plant if its interactions with robbers generate higher degrees of cross-pollination, thus increasing the reproductive success of plants that interact with both floral visitors. This study suggests a new source of continued cooperation and diversity strategies through non-linear effects of the interactions between different strategies. Finally, I study how local interactions can promote the prevalence of mimic (the cheaters) in a given population in the absence of their models. I found that prey interacting locally may favor the predominance of mimic preys and avoid predators that, after a few generations and under a non-random distribution of individuals in space, can further strengthen this unexpected effect allopatry of the mimic and its model (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 11/11346-0 - Interaction parasites and coevolution of mutualisms |
| Grantee: | Flávia Maria Darcie Marquitti |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate |