Individual-based ant-plant networks: diurnal-nocturnal structure and species-area relationship.

ABSTRACT: Despite the importance and increasing knowledge of ecological networks, sampling effort and intrapopulation variation has been widely overlooked. Using continuous daily sampling of ants visiting three plant species in the Brazilian Neotropical savanna, we evaluated for the first time the topological structure over 24 h and species-area relationships (based on the number of extrafloral nectaries available) in individual-based ant-plant networks. We observed that diurnal and nocturnal ant-plant networks exhibited the same pattern of interactions: a nested and non-modular pattern and an average level of network specialization. Despite the high similarity in the ants' composition between the two collection periods, ant species found in the central core of highly interacting species totally cha

SUBMITTER: Dattilo W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4053393 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature