The Missing Part of Seed Dispersal Networks: Structure and Robustness of Bat-Fruit Interactions

摘要: Mutualistic networks are crucial to the maintenance of ecosystem services. Unfortunately, what we know about seed dispersal is based only on bird-fruit interactions. Therefore, aimed at filling part this gap by investigating bat-fruit networks. It known from population studies that: (i) some bat species depend more fruits than others, and (ii) that specialized frugivorous bats prefer particular plant genera. We tested whether those preferences affected structure robustness whole network functional roles species. Nine datasets literature were analyzed all showed lower complementary specialization (H2' = 0.37±0.10, mean ± SD) similar nestedness (NODF 0.56±0.12) pollination All modular (M 0.32±0.07), had average four cohesive subgroups (modules) tightly connected plants. The composition modules followed genus-genus associations observed level (Artibeus-Ficus, Carollia-Piper, Sturnira-Solanum), although a few genera dispersed also other bats. Bat-fruit high simulated cumulative removals both (R 0.55±0.10) plants 0.68±0.09). Primary frugivores interacted with larger proportion available occupied central positions; furthermore, their extinction caused changes in structure. conclude highly robust mutualistic systems, which redundancy within modules, each other. Dietary seems be an important structuring factor affects topology, guild