Opportunistic attachment assembles plant–pollinator networks
Abstract
Species and interactions are being lost at alarming rates and it is imperative to understand how communities assemble if we have to prevent their collapse and restore lost interactions. Using an 8‐year dataset comprising nearly 20 000 pollinator visitation records, we explore the assembly of plant–pollinator communities at native plant restoration sites in an agricultural landscape. We find that species occupy highly dynamic network positions through time, causing the assembly process to be punctuated by major network reorganisations. The most persistent pollinator species are also the most variable in their network positions, contrary to what preferential attachment – the most widely studied theory of ecological network assembly – predicts. Instead, we suggest assembly occurs via an opportunistic attachment process. Our results contribute to our understanding of how communities assembly and how species interactions change through time while helping to inform efforts to reassemble robust communities.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Sep 17, 2017
- Source ID
- 10.1111/ele.12821
Entities
People
- Claire Kremen
- Lauren C. Ponisio
- Marilia P. Gaiarsa
Organizations
- Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
- Army Research Office
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
- National Science Foundation
- Natural Resources Conservation Service
- São Paulo Research Foundation
- United States Department of Agriculture
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of California, Riverside
- University of São Paulo