High Resource Overlap and a Consistently Generalised Pattern of Interactions in a Bat–Flower Network in a Seasonally Dry Landscape
ABSTRACT Pollination is an ecosystem process that is crucial to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem function. Bats are important pollinators in the tropics and are an integral part of complex plant–pollinator interaction networks. However, network analysis–based approaches are still scarce at the pl...
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Wiley
2024-10-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70367 |
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| author | Constance J. Tremlett Mark Chapman Kathryn H. Maher Alexander Keller Nico Blüthgen Kelvin S.‐H. Peh Veronica Zamora‐Gutierrez |
| author_facet | Constance J. Tremlett Mark Chapman Kathryn H. Maher Alexander Keller Nico Blüthgen Kelvin S.‐H. Peh Veronica Zamora‐Gutierrez |
| author_sort | Constance J. Tremlett |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Pollination is an ecosystem process that is crucial to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem function. Bats are important pollinators in the tropics and are an integral part of complex plant–pollinator interaction networks. However, network analysis–based approaches are still scarce at the plant species and bat community levels. We used metabarcoding to identify plant taxa present in pollen from fur and faecal samples collected across 1 year from three nectar‐feeding bat roosts in central Mexico. We calculated the frequency of occurrence of plant taxa and assembled a zoocentric network of bat–plant interactions. We constructed a year‐long network, encompassing the entire period of sampling, two seasonal networks comprising the wet and dry seasons, and six individual networks from sampling at two‐month intervals across the year. Four species of nectar‐feeding bats interacted with 36 plant species from 16 families. We found highly generalised interaction patterns across networks corresponding with opportunistic feeding behaviour by bats, with little seasonal variation in network structure. There was high resource overlap between bat species, and bats visited a diverse range of plant species even during periods with a high abundance of particular resources in the landscape. The diverse diet of nectar‐feeding bats emphasises the importance of floristically rich natural habitats in the landscape to provide reliable foraging resources year‐round in a seasonally variable system. While a generalised network structure is thought to increase robustness, further research is necessary to understand how fluctuations in pollinator abundance and diversity in the face of land use and climate change may impact bat–flower networks and the consequences to plant communities. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5cb3e0cce51644dfa02ffd8011fcdf17 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-5cb3e0cce51644dfa02ffd8011fcdf172025-08-20T01:58:37ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582024-10-011410n/an/a10.1002/ece3.70367High Resource Overlap and a Consistently Generalised Pattern of Interactions in a Bat–Flower Network in a Seasonally Dry LandscapeConstance J. Tremlett0Mark Chapman1Kathryn H. Maher2Alexander Keller3Nico Blüthgen4Kelvin S.‐H. Peh5Veronica Zamora‐Gutierrez6School of Biological Sciences University of Southampton Southampton UKSchool of Biological Sciences University of Southampton Southampton UKNERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Health Sciences University of Sheffield Sheffield UKOrganismic and Cellular Networks, Faculty of Biology Biocenter, Ludwig‐Maximilians‐Universität München Planegg GermanyEcological Networks Lab, Department of Biology Technische Universität Darmstadt Darmstadt GermanySchool of Biological Sciences University of Southampton Southampton UKSchool of Biological Sciences University of Southampton Southampton UKABSTRACT Pollination is an ecosystem process that is crucial to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem function. Bats are important pollinators in the tropics and are an integral part of complex plant–pollinator interaction networks. However, network analysis–based approaches are still scarce at the plant species and bat community levels. We used metabarcoding to identify plant taxa present in pollen from fur and faecal samples collected across 1 year from three nectar‐feeding bat roosts in central Mexico. We calculated the frequency of occurrence of plant taxa and assembled a zoocentric network of bat–plant interactions. We constructed a year‐long network, encompassing the entire period of sampling, two seasonal networks comprising the wet and dry seasons, and six individual networks from sampling at two‐month intervals across the year. Four species of nectar‐feeding bats interacted with 36 plant species from 16 families. We found highly generalised interaction patterns across networks corresponding with opportunistic feeding behaviour by bats, with little seasonal variation in network structure. There was high resource overlap between bat species, and bats visited a diverse range of plant species even during periods with a high abundance of particular resources in the landscape. The diverse diet of nectar‐feeding bats emphasises the importance of floristically rich natural habitats in the landscape to provide reliable foraging resources year‐round in a seasonally variable system. While a generalised network structure is thought to increase robustness, further research is necessary to understand how fluctuations in pollinator abundance and diversity in the face of land use and climate change may impact bat–flower networks and the consequences to plant communities.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70367Anoura geoffroyibat–flower interactionsChoeronycteris mexicanaLeptonycteris nivalisLeptonycteris yerbabuenaemetabarcoding |
| spellingShingle | Constance J. Tremlett Mark Chapman Kathryn H. Maher Alexander Keller Nico Blüthgen Kelvin S.‐H. Peh Veronica Zamora‐Gutierrez High Resource Overlap and a Consistently Generalised Pattern of Interactions in a Bat–Flower Network in a Seasonally Dry Landscape Ecology and Evolution Anoura geoffroyi bat–flower interactions Choeronycteris mexicana Leptonycteris nivalis Leptonycteris yerbabuenae metabarcoding |
| title | High Resource Overlap and a Consistently Generalised Pattern of Interactions in a Bat–Flower Network in a Seasonally Dry Landscape |
| title_full | High Resource Overlap and a Consistently Generalised Pattern of Interactions in a Bat–Flower Network in a Seasonally Dry Landscape |
| title_fullStr | High Resource Overlap and a Consistently Generalised Pattern of Interactions in a Bat–Flower Network in a Seasonally Dry Landscape |
| title_full_unstemmed | High Resource Overlap and a Consistently Generalised Pattern of Interactions in a Bat–Flower Network in a Seasonally Dry Landscape |
| title_short | High Resource Overlap and a Consistently Generalised Pattern of Interactions in a Bat–Flower Network in a Seasonally Dry Landscape |
| title_sort | high resource overlap and a consistently generalised pattern of interactions in a bat flower network in a seasonally dry landscape |
| topic | Anoura geoffroyi bat–flower interactions Choeronycteris mexicana Leptonycteris nivalis Leptonycteris yerbabuenae metabarcoding |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70367 |
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