Resilient networks of ant-plant mutualists in Amazonian forest fragments.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The organization of networks of interacting species, such as plants and animals engaged in mutualisms, strongly influences the ecology and evolution of partner communities. Habitat fragmentation is a globally pervasive form of spatial heterogeneity that could profoundly impact the structure of mutualist networks. This is particularly true for biodiversity-rich tropical ecosystems, where the majority of plant species depend on mutualisms with animals and it is thought that changes in the structure of mutualist networks could lead to cascades of extinctions.

Methodology/principal findings

We evaluated effects of fragmentation on mutualistic networks by calculating metrics of network structure for ant-plant networks in continuous Amazonian forests with those in fores

SUBMITTER: Passmore HA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3415396 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature