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Interaction frequency as a surrogate for the total effect of animal mutualists on plants
Author(s) -
Vázquez Diego P.,
Morris William F.,
Jordano Pedro
Publication year - 2005
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/j.1461-0248.2005.00810.x
Subject(s) - biology , interaction , ecology , correlation , statistics , mathematics , agronomy , geometry
Abstract We evaluate whether species interaction frequency can be used as a surrogate for the total effect of a species on another. Because interaction frequency is easier to estimate than per‐interaction effect, using interaction frequency as a surrogate of total effect could facilitate the large‐scale analysis of quantitative patterns of species‐rich interaction networks. We show mathematically that the correlation between interaction frequency ( I ) and total effect ( T ) becomes more strongly positive the greater the variation of I relative to the variation of per‐interaction effect ( P ) and the greater the correlation between I and P . A meta‐analysis using data on I , P and T for animal pollinators and seed dispersers visiting plants shows a generally strong, positive relationship between T and I , in spite of no general relationship between P and I . Thus, frequent animal mutualists usually contribute the most to plant reproduction, regardless of their effectiveness on a per‐interaction basis.