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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Unravelling Darwin's entangled bank: architecture and robustness of mutualistic networks with multiple interaction types

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Author(s):
Dattilo, Wesley ; Lara-Rodriguez, Nubia ; Jordano, Pedro ; Guimaraes, Jr., Paulo R. ; Thompson, John N. ; Marquis, Robert J. ; Medeiros, Lucas P. ; Ortiz-Pulido, Raul ; Marcos-Garcia, Maria A. ; Rico-Gray, Victor
Total Authors: 10
Document type: Journal article
Source: PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; v. 283, n. 1843 NOV 30 2016.
Web of Science Citations: 12
Abstract

Trying to unravel Darwin's entangled bank further, we describe the architecture of a network involving multiple forms of mutualism (pollination by animals, seed dispersal by birds and plant protection by ants) and evaluate whether this multi-network shows evidence of a structure that promotes robustness. We found that species differed strongly in their contributions to the organization of the multi-interaction network, and that only a few species contributed to the structuring of these patterns. Moreover, we observed that the multi-interaction networks did not enhance community robustness compared with each of the three independent mutualistic networks when analysed across a range of simulated scenarios of species extinction. By simulating the removal of highly interacting species, we observed that, overall, these species enhance network nestedness and robustness, but decrease modularity. We discuss how the organization of interlinked mutualistic networks may be essential for the maintenance of ecological communities, and therefore the long-term ecological and evolutionary dynamics of interactive, species-rich communities. We suggest that conserving these keystone mutualists and their interactions is crucial to the persistence of species-rich mutualistic assemblages, mainly because they support other species and shape the network organization. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 15/12956-7 - How does species abundances affect the coevolutionary dynamics in mutualistic networks?
Grantee:Lucas Paoliello de Medeiros
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master