Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1111/ele.13623
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) Seeing through the static: the temporal dimension of plant–animal mutualistic interactions
Author CaraDonna, P.J.; Burkle, L.A.; Schwarz, B.; Resasco, J.; Knight, T.M.; Benadi, G.; Blüthgen, N.; Dormann, C.F.; Fang, Q.; Fründ, J.; Gauzens, B.; Kaiser‐Bunbury, C.N.; Winfree, R.; Vázquez, D.P.
Source Titel Ecology Letters
Year 2021
Department BZF; iDiv
Volume 24
Issue 1
Page From 149
Page To 161
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Supplements https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/downloadSupplement?doi=10.1111%2Fele.13623&file=ele13623-sup-0001-Supinfo.odt
Keywords Ant–plant mutualism, mutualistic networks, plant–pollinator interactions, plant–seed disperser interactions, temporal dynamics, temporal scale
Abstract Most studies of plant–animal mutualistic networks have come from a temporally static perspective. This approach has revealed general patterns in network structure, but limits our ability to understand the ecological and evolutionary processes that shape these networks and to predict the consequences of natural and human‐driven disturbance on species interactions. We review the growing literature on temporal dynamics of plant–animal mutualistic networks including pollination, seed dispersal and ant defence mutualisms. We then discuss potential mechanisms underlying such variation in interactions, ranging from behavioural and physiological processes at the finest temporal scales to ecological and evolutionary processes at the broadest. We find that at the finest temporal scales (days, weeks, months) mutualistic interactions are highly dynamic, with considerable variation in network structure. At intermediate scales (years, decades), networks still exhibit high levels of temporal variation, but such variation appears to influence network properties only weakly. At the broadest temporal scales (many decades, centuries and beyond), continued shifts in interactions appear to reshape network structure, leading to dramatic community changes, including loss of species and function. Our review highlights the importance of considering the temporal dimension for understanding the ecology and evolution of complex webs of mutualistic interactions.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=23794
CaraDonna, P.J., Burkle, L.A., Schwarz, B., Resasco, J., Knight, T.M., Benadi, G., Blüthgen, N., Dormann, C.F., Fang, Q., Fründ, J., Gauzens, B., Kaiser‐Bunbury, C.N., Winfree, R., Vázquez, D.P. (2021):
Seeing through the static: the temporal dimension of plant–animal mutualistic interactions
Ecol. Lett. 24 (1), 149 - 161 10.1111/ele.13623