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(Referência obtida automaticamente do Web of Science, por meio da informação sobre o financiamento pela FAPESP e o número do processo correspondente, incluída na publicação pelos autores.)

Reconstructing past ecological networks: the reconfiguration of seed-dispersal interactions after megafaunal extinction

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Autor(es):
Pires, Mathias M. [1] ; Galetti, Mauro [2] ; Donatti, Camila I. [3] ; Pizo, Marco A. [4] ; Dirzo, Rodolfo [3] ; Guimaraes, Jr., Paulo R. [1]
Número total de Autores: 6
Afiliação do(s) autor(es):
[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Ecol, BR-05508900 Sao Paulo - Brazil
[2] Univ Estadual Paulista, Dept Ecol, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil
[3] Stanford Univ, Dept Biol, Stanford, CA 94305 - USA
[4] Univ Estadual Paulista, Dept Zool, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil
Número total de Afiliações: 4
Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
Fonte: Oecologia; v. 175, n. 4, p. 1247-1256, AUG 2014.
Citações Web of Science: 33
Resumo

The late Quaternary megafaunal extinction impacted ecological communities worldwide, and affected key ecological processes such as seed dispersal. The traits of several species of large-seeded plants are thought to have evolved in response to interactions with extinct megafauna, but how these extinctions affected the organization of interactions in seed-dispersal systems is poorly understood. Here, we combined ecological and paleontological data and network analyses to investigate how the structure of a species-rich seed-dispersal network could have changed from the Pleistocene to the present and examine the possible consequences of such changes. Our results indicate that the seed-dispersal network was organized into modules across the different time periods but has been reconfigured in different ways over time. The episode of megafaunal extinction and the arrival of humans changed how seed dispersers were distributed among network modules. However, the recent introduction of livestock into the seed-dispersal system partially restored the original network organization by strengthening the modular configuration. Moreover, after megafaunal extinctions, introduced species and some smaller native mammals became key components for the structure of the seed-dispersal network. We hypothesize that such changes in network structure affected both animal and plant assemblages, potentially contributing to the shaping of modern ecological communities. The ongoing extinction of key large vertebrates will lead to a variety of context-dependent rearranged ecological networks, most certainly affecting ecological and evolutionary processes. (AU)

Processo FAPESP: 09/54422-8 - Estrutura e dinâmica coevolutiva em redes de interações mutualísticas
Beneficiário:Paulo Roberto Guimarães Junior
Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Jovens Pesquisadores
Processo FAPESP: 08/10154-7 - Atributos das plantas na rede de dispersão de sementes do Pantanal: consequências espaciais, demográficas e conservacionistas
Beneficiário:Mauro Galetti Rodrigues
Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
Processo FAPESP: 09/54567-6 - Redes troficas do pleistoceno: estrutura e fragilidade
Beneficiário:Mathias Mistretta Pires
Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado
Processo FAPESP: 04/00810-3 - Padrões de fenologia, frugivoria e morfologia de frutos no Pantanal
Beneficiário:Mauro Galetti Rodrigues
Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular