Seed‐dispersal interactions in fragmented landscapes – a metanetwork approach
Author(s) -
Emer Carine,
Galetti Mauro,
Pizo Marco A.,
Guimarães Paulo R.,
Moraes Suelen,
Piratelli Augusto,
Jordano Pedro
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
ecology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.852
H-Index - 265
eISSN - 1461-0248
pISSN - 1461-023X
DOI - 10.1111/ele.12909
Subject(s) - defaunation , biological dispersal , generalist and specialist species , fragmentation (computing) , ecology , biology , seed dispersal , habitat fragmentation , habitat , myrmecophyte , landscape connectivity , biodiversity , population , pollen , rumen , demography , food science , nectar , sociology , fermentation
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 < 10 000 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.