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Asymmetric interactions of seed‐predation network contribute to rare‐species advantage
Author(s) -
Xi Xinqiang,
Yang Yangheshan,
Tylianakis Jason M.,
Yang Sihai,
Dong Yuran,
Sun Shucun
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.1002/ecy.3050
Subject(s) - herbivore , biology , biological dispersal , ecology , biomass (ecology) , predation , seed dispersal , rare species , seed predation , abundance (ecology) , community , ecological network , common species , habitat , ecosystem , population , demography , sociology
Although the asymmetry of species linkage within ecological networks is now well recognized, its effect on communities has scarcely been empirically investigated. Based on theory, we predicted that an asymmetric architecture of antagonistic plant–herbivore networks would emerge at the community level and that this asymmetry would negatively affect community‐common plants more than rare ones. We tested this prediction by analyzing the architectural properties of an alpine plant and pre‐dispersal seed‐predator network and its effect on seed loss rate of plants in the Tibetan Plateau. This network showed an asymmetric architecture, where the common plant species (with a larger aboveground biomass per area) were infested by a higher number of predator species. Moreover, they asymmetrically interacted with specialized herbivores, presumably because of greater seed resource abundance. In turn, the asymmetric interactions led to a higher proportion of seed loss in the common plants at the species level. Our results suggest that asymmetric antagonistic networks may improve species coexistence by contributing to a mechanism of rare‐species advantage.