The effect of species composition dissimilarity on plant–herbivore network structure is not consistent over time

The structural organization of several antagonistic networks has been demonstrated to be largely conserved through time and space even when species beta‐diversity is high. This might occur either because species are replaced by others that fulfill similar network roles or because interaction probabi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biotropica 2020-07, Vol.52 (4), p.664-674
Main Authors: Pereira Martins, Lucas, Matos Medina, Anderson, Lewinsohn, Thomas M., Almeida‐Neto, Mário
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
beta‐diversity
Cerrado
Community composition
Composition effects
compositional turnover
ecological networks
Herbivores
herbivory
Modularity
network dissimilarity
Plants (botany)
plant–insect interactions
Species composition
Species diversity
temporal variability
Time dependence
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The structural organization of several antagonistic networks has been demonstrated to be largely conserved through time and space even when species beta‐diversity is high. This might occur either because species are replaced by others that fulfill similar network roles or because interaction probabilities are given by species relative abundances rather than by their functional traits. Alternatively, if species‐specific traits are important drivers of realized interactions, any change in species composition should promote a certain degree of network structural dissimilarity. Here, we used a spatial‐temporal system comprising asteraceous plants and flower head herbivores from remnants of Brazilian Cerrado to investigate whether the relationship between spatial beta‐diversity of species and network structural dissimilarity changes over time. We measured species beta‐diversity using Sørensen's dissimilarity index (βsor) and its components of species replacement (β‐3) and richness differences (βrich). Network structural dissimilarity was estimated using three different metrics: connectance, modularity, and web asymmetry. We show that, in general, the effect of species beta‐diversity on network structure was time‐dependent: While some periods presented a positive relationship between spatial beta‐diversity and network structural dissimilarity, others presented no significant relationship. This indicates that functionally similar species may present different turnover rates at distinct periods, and different non‐exclusive processes affect plant–herbivore network organization across time. in Portuguese is available with online material. RESUMO A estrutura organizacional de várias redes antagonistas tem sido demonstrada ser altamente conservada através do tempo e espaço até quando a diversidade beta de espécies é alta. Isso pode ocorrer tanto porque espécies são substituídas por outras que exercem papéis semelhantes na rede, ou porque probabilidades de interação são determinadas pelas abundâncias relativas das espécies em vez de por seus traços funcionais. Alternativamente, se traços específicos das espécies são importantes determinantes das interações realizadas, qualquer mudança na composição de espécies deveria promover algum grau de dissimilaridade estrutural de redes. Aqui, nós utilizamos um sistema espaço‐temporal formado por plantas da família Asteraceae e herbívoros de capítulos em remanescentes de Cerrado brasileiro para investigar se a relação entre diver
ISSN:0006-3606
1744-7429
DOI:10.1111/btp.12791