Dataset Information

Diel niche partitioning of a plant-hummingbird network in the Atlantic forest of Brazil.

ABSTRACT: Niche partitioning is an important mechanism that allows species to coexist. Within mutualistic interaction networks, diel niche partitioning, i.e., partitioning of resources throughout the day, has been neglected. We explored diel niche partitioning of a plant-hummingbird network in the Brazilian Atlantic forest for nine months. To evaluate diel patterns of hummingbird visits and nectar production, we used time-lapse cameras on focal flowers and repeated nectar volume and concentration measures, respectively. Additionally, we measured flower abundance around focal flowers and flower morphological traits. We did not observe diel partitioning for either hummingbirds or plants. Instead, hummingbirds appeared to specialize in different plant species, consistent with trophic niche partitioning, potentially resulting from competition. In contrast, plant species that co-flowered and shared hummingbird visits produced nectar during similar times, consistent with facilitation. Our focus on the fine-scale temporal pattern revealed that plants and hummingbirds appear to have different strategies for promoting co-existence.

SUBMITTER: Nieto A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10113301 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Diel niche partitioning of a plant-hummingbird network in the Atlantic forest of Brazil.

Nieto Andrea A Wüest Rafael O RO Graham Catherine H CH Varassin Isabela G IG

Oecologia 20230407 4

Niche partitioning is an important mechanism that allows species to coexist. Within mutualistic interaction networks, diel niche partitioning, i.e., partitioning of resources throughout the day, has been neglected. We explored diel niche partitioning of a plant-hummingbird network in the Brazilian Atlantic forest for nine months. To evaluate diel patterns of hummingbird visits and nectar production, we used time-lapse cameras on focal flowers and repeated nectar volume and concentration measures ...[more]

PMID: 37027042

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Project description:The structuring of plant-hummingbird networks can be explained by multiple factors, including species abundance (i.e., the neutrality hypothesis), matching of bill and flower morphology, phenological overlap, phylogenetic constraints, and feeding behavior. The importance of complementary morphology and phenological overlap on the hummingbird-plant network has been extensively studied, while the importance of hummingbird behavior has received less attention. In this work, we evaluated the relative importance of species abundance, morphological matching, and floral energy content in predicting the frequency of hummingbird-plant interactions. Then, we determined whether the hummingbird species' dominance hierarchy is associated with modules within the network. Moreover, we evaluated whether hummingbird specialization (d') is related to bill morphology (bill length and curvature) and dominance hierarchy. Finally, we determined whether generalist core hummingbird species are lees dominant in the community. We recorded plant-hummingbird interactions and behavioral dominance of hummingbird species in a temperate forest in Northwestern Mexico (El Palmito, Mexico). We measured flowers' corolla length and nectar traits and hummingbirds' weight and bill traits. We recorded 2,272 interactions among 13 hummingbird and 10 plant species. The main driver of plant-hummingbird interactions was species abundance, consistent with the neutrality interaction theory. Hummingbird specialization was related to dominance and bill length, but not to bill curvature of hummingbird species. However, generalist core hummingbird species (species that interact with many plant species) were less dominant. The frequency of interactions between hummingbirds and plants was determined by the abundance of hummingbirds and their flowers, and the dominance of hummingbird species determined the separation of the different modules and specialization. Our study suggests that abundance and feeding behavior may play an important role in North America's hummingbird-plant networks.

Project description:BackgroundInteractions among species are a driving force of community structure. The species composition of animal-plant interaction networks can be highly dynamic on a temporal scale, even though the general network structure is usually not altered. However, few studies have examined how interaction networks change over long periods of time, particularly after extreme natural events. We analyzed herein the structure of the hummingbird-plant interaction network in a dry forest of Chamela, Mexico, comparing the structure in 1985-1986 with that in 2016-2017 following the passage of two hurricanes (category 2 Jova in 2011 and category 4 Patricia in 2015).MethodsThe fieldwork was carried out in the Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve in Jalisco, Mexico. In the last 30 years, three severe drought events and two hurricanes have affected this region. Previously, from 1985-1986, hummingbird-plant interactions were recorded monthly for one year in the study area. Then, from 2016-2017, we replicated the sampling in the same localities. We compared the network parameters describing the plant-hummingbird interactions of each period using adjacency matrices.ResultsWe found differences in the number and identity of interacting species, especially plants. The plant species missing in 2016-2017 were either the least connected in the original network (1985-1986) or belonged to groups such as cacti, epiphytes, or trees. The new plant species incorporated in the 2016-2017 network were herbs, vines, and shrubs, or other species barely connected. These changes in the composition are consistent with reports on vegetation damage after strong hurricanes at other study sites. Conversely, all hummingbird species remained in the network, with the exception of Heliomaster constantii, which was primarily connected to a plant species absent in the 2016-2017 network. Migratory and habitat generalist species (i.e., Archilochus spp.) showed higher abundances following the disturbance events.ConclusionsMost of the parameters describing the hummingbird-plant network structure remained unchanged after 30 years, with the exception of an increase in plant robustness and hummingbird niche overlap. However, the network's generalist core was affected by the loss of some species. Also, core plant species such as Ipomoea bracteata, Combretum farinosum, and Justicia candicans were found to be important for maintaining the hummingbird-plant interaction network. The temporal perspective of this study provides unique insights into the conservation of plant-hummingbird networks across time and extreme natural events.

Project description:Beta diversity patterns are the outcome of multiple processes operating at different scales. Amphibian assemblages seem to be affected by contemporary climate and dispersal-based processes. However, historical processes involved in present patterns of beta diversity remain poorly understood. We assess and disentangle geomorphological, climatic and spatial drivers of amphibian beta diversity in coastal lowlands of the Atlantic Forest, southeastern Brazil. We tested the hypothesis that geomorphological factors are more important in structuring anuran beta diversity than climatic and spatial factors. We obtained species composition via field survey (N = 766 individuals), museum specimens (N = 9,730) and literature records (N = 4,763). Sampling area was divided in four spatially explicit geomorphological units, representing historical predictors. Climatic descriptors were represented by the first two axis of a Principal Component Analysis. Spatial predictors in different spatial scales were described by Moran Eigenvector Maps. Redundancy Analysis was implemented to partition the explained variation of species composition by geomorphological, climatic and spatial predictors. Moreover, spatial autocorrelation analyses were used to test neutral theory predictions. Beta diversity was spatially structured in broader scales. Shared fraction between climatic and geomorphological variables was an important predictor of species composition (13%), as well as broad scale spatial predictors (13%). However, geomorphological variables alone were the most important predictor of beta diversity (42%). Historical factors related to geomorphology must have played a crucial role in structuring amphibian beta diversity. The complex relationships between geomorphological history and climatic gradients generated by the Serra do Mar Precambrian basements were also important. We highlight the importance of combining spatially explicit historical and contemporary predictors for understanding and disentangling major drivers of beta diversity patterns.

Dataset Information

Diel niche partitioning of a plant-hummingbird network in the Atlantic forest of Brazil.

Publications

Diel niche partitioning of a plant-hummingbird network in the Atlantic forest of Brazil.

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