Elevational and Seasonal Patterns of Plant-Hummingbird Interactions in a High Tropical Mountain.

ABSTRACT: Tropical mountain ecosystems harbor diverse biological communities, making them valuable models for exploring the factors that shape ecological interactions along environmental gradients. We investigated the spatial and temporal drivers of plant-hummingbird interaction networks across three forest types (pine-oak, fir, and subalpine) along a tropical high mountain gradient in western Mexico (2400 to 3700 m.a.s.l.). We measured species abundance, diversity, morphology, and interaction frequencies. Plant diversity metrics significantly declined in the highest elevation subalpine forest, whereas hummingbird diversity remained consistent across elevations. Interaction networks were similarly nested across elevations, but they were more specialized in the subalpine forest, where lower plant spe

SUBMITTER: Senties-Aguilar EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11500213 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature