Seed-dispersal interactions in fragmented landscapes - a metanetwork approach

Author(s)

Emer, Carine ^{[1, 2]} ; Galetti, Mauro ^[1] ; Pizo, Marco A. ^[3] ; Guimaraes, Jr., Paulo R. ^[4] ; Moraes, Suelen ^[5] ; Piratelli, Augusto ^[5] ; Jordano, Pedro ^[2]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Dept Ecol, CP 199, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil

^[2] CSIC, EBD, Integrat Ecol Grp, Av Amer Vespucio 26, E-41092 Seville - Spain

^[3] Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Dept Zool, CP 199, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Ecol, BR-05508090 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Ciencias Ambientais, Rodovia Joao Leme Santos, Km 110, SP 264, BR-18052780 Sorocaba, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ECOLOGY LETTERS; v. 21, n. 4, p. 484-493, APR 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 21

Abstract

Mutualistic interactions repeatedly preserved across fragmented landscapes can scale-up to form a spatial metanetwork describing the distribution of interactions across patches. We explored the structure of a bird seed-dispersal (BSD) metanetwork in 16 Neotropical forest fragments to test whether a distinct subset of BSD-interactions may mediate landscape functional connectivity. The metanetwork is interaction-rich, modular and poorly connected, showing high beta-diversity and turnover of species and interactions. Interactions involving large-sized species were lost in fragments < 10000 ha, indicating a strong filtering by habitat fragmentation on the functional diversity of BSD-interactions. Persistent interactions were performed by small-seeded, fast growing plant species and by generalist, small-bodied bird species able to cross the fragmented landscape. This reduced subset of interactions forms the metanetwork components persisting to defaunation and fragmentation, and may generate long-term deficits of carbon storage while delaying forest regeneration at the landscape level. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/08406-7 - How do species and interaction turnovers affect the coevolutionary dynamics in mutualistic networks?
• Grantee: Paulo Roberto Guimarães Junior
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 10/52315-7 - Top predators of food chain
• Grantee: Pedro Manoel Galetti Junior
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 14/01986-0 - Ecological consequences of defaunation in the Atlantic Rainforest
• Grantee: Mauro Galetti Rodrigues
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 16/18355-8 - Evolutionary history of a plant-frugivore metanetwork in a defaunated tropical forest
• Grantee: Carine Emer
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• FAPESP's process: 15/15172-7 - Effects of defaunation and introduction of exotic species on plant-seed dispersal interaction networks
• Grantee: Carine Emer
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral