Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2700-2712 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Ecology letters |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| Early online date | 6 Oct 2021 |
| Publication status | Published - 11 Nov 2021 |
Abstract
To understand how plant–pollinator interactions respond to habitat fragmentation, we need novel approaches that can capture properties that emerge at broad scales, where multiple communities engage in metanetworks. Here we studied plant–pollinator interactions over 2 years on 29 calcareous grassland fragments selected along independent gradients of habitat size and surrounding landscape diversity of cover types. We associated network centrality of plant–pollinator interactions and grassland fragments with their ecological and landscape traits, respectively. Interactions involving habitat specialist plants and large-bodied pollinators were the most central, implying that species with these traits form the metanetwork core. Large fragments embedded in landscapes with high land cover diversity exhibited the highest centrality; however, small fragments harboured many unique interactions not found on larger fragments. Intensively managed landscapes have reached a point in which all remaining fragments matter, meaning that losing any further areas may vanish unique interactions with unknown consequences for ecosystem functioning.
Keywords
- calcareous grasslands, landscape ecology, mutualism, network theory, plant–pollinator interactions
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: Ecology letters, Vol. 24, No. 12, 11.11.2021, p. 2700-2712.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - A plant–pollinator metanetwork along a habitat fragmentation gradient
AU - Librán-Embid, Felipe Miguel
AU - Grass, Ingo
AU - Emer, Carine
AU - Ganuza, Cristina
AU - Tscharntke, Teja
N1 - Funding Information: This research was supported by the German Research Association (DFG) Research Training Group 1644 ‘Scaling Problems in Statistics’, grant no. 152112243. The authors thank all friends, student helpers and fieldwork assistants who contributed to data collection. The authors are also thankful to three anonymous referees and handling editor Prof. Dr. Vanessa Ezenwa for their valuable contributions to improve the manuscript. Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.
PY - 2021/11/11
Y1 - 2021/11/11
N2 - To understand how plant–pollinator interactions respond to habitat fragmentation, we need novel approaches that can capture properties that emerge at broad scales, where multiple communities engage in metanetworks. Here we studied plant–pollinator interactions over 2 years on 29 calcareous grassland fragments selected along independent gradients of habitat size and surrounding landscape diversity of cover types. We associated network centrality of plant–pollinator interactions and grassland fragments with their ecological and landscape traits, respectively. Interactions involving habitat specialist plants and large-bodied pollinators were the most central, implying that species with these traits form the metanetwork core. Large fragments embedded in landscapes with high land cover diversity exhibited the highest centrality; however, small fragments harboured many unique interactions not found on larger fragments. Intensively managed landscapes have reached a point in which all remaining fragments matter, meaning that losing any further areas may vanish unique interactions with unknown consequences for ecosystem functioning.
AB - To understand how plant–pollinator interactions respond to habitat fragmentation, we need novel approaches that can capture properties that emerge at broad scales, where multiple communities engage in metanetworks. Here we studied plant–pollinator interactions over 2 years on 29 calcareous grassland fragments selected along independent gradients of habitat size and surrounding landscape diversity of cover types. We associated network centrality of plant–pollinator interactions and grassland fragments with their ecological and landscape traits, respectively. Interactions involving habitat specialist plants and large-bodied pollinators were the most central, implying that species with these traits form the metanetwork core. Large fragments embedded in landscapes with high land cover diversity exhibited the highest centrality; however, small fragments harboured many unique interactions not found on larger fragments. Intensively managed landscapes have reached a point in which all remaining fragments matter, meaning that losing any further areas may vanish unique interactions with unknown consequences for ecosystem functioning.
KW - calcareous grasslands
KW - landscape ecology
KW - mutualism
KW - network theory
KW - plant–pollinator interactions
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85116404663&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/ele.13892
DO - 10.1111/ele.13892
M3 - Article
VL - 24
SP - 2700
EP - 2712
JO - Ecology letters
JF - Ecology letters
SN - 1461-023X
IS - 12
ER -