Are hummingbirds generalists or specialists? Using network analysis to explore the mechanisms influencing their interaction with nectar resources.

ABSTRACT: Mutualistic interactions are powerful drivers of biodiversity on Earth that can be represented as complex interaction networks that vary in connection pattern and intensity. One of the most fascinating mutualisms is the interaction between hummingbirds and the plants they visit. We conducted an exhaustive search for articles, theses, reports, and personal communications with researchers (unpublished data) documenting hummingbird visits to flowers of nectar-rewarding plants. Based on information gathered from 4532 interactions between 292 hummingbird species and 1287 plant species, we built an interaction network between nine hummingbird clades and 100 plant families used by hummingbirds as nectar resources at a continental scale. We explored the network architecture, including phylogenetic

SUBMITTER: Rodriguez-Flores CI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6392410 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature