Manipulating network connectance by altering plant attractiveness
Background Mutualistic interactions between plants and their pollinating insects are critical to the maintenance of biodiversity. However, we have yet to demonstrate that we are able to manage the structural properties of these networks for the purposes of pollinator conservation and preserving func...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2023-11-01
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| Series: | PeerJ |
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/16319.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797411849507962880 |
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| author | Laura Russo Jane C. Stout |
| author_facet | Laura Russo Jane C. Stout |
| author_sort | Laura Russo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Mutualistic interactions between plants and their pollinating insects are critical to the maintenance of biodiversity. However, we have yet to demonstrate that we are able to manage the structural properties of these networks for the purposes of pollinator conservation and preserving functional outcomes, such as pollination services. Our objective was to explore the extent of our ability to experimentally increase, decrease, and maintain connectance, a structural attribute that reflects patterns of insect visitation and foraging preferences. Patterns of connectance relate to the stability and function of ecological networks. Methods We implemented a 2-year field experiment across eight sites in urban Dublin, Ireland, applying four agrochemical treatments to fixed communities of seven flowering plant species in a randomized block design. We spent ~117 h collecting 1,908 flower-visiting insects of 92 species or morphospecies with standardized sampling methods across the 2 years. We hypothesized that the fertilizer treatment would increase, herbicide decrease, and a combination of both maintain the connectance of the network, relative to a control treatment of just water. Results Our results showed that we were able to successfully increase network connectance with a fertilizer treatment, and maintain network connectance with a combination of fertilizer and herbicide. However, we were not successful in decreasing network connectance with the herbicide treatment. The increase in connectance in the fertilized treatment was due to an increased species richness of visiting insects, rather than changes to their abundance. We also demonstrated that this change was due to an increase in the realized proportion of insect visitor species rather than increased visitation by common, generalist species of floral visitors. Overall, this work suggests that connectance is an attribute of network structure that can be manipulated, with implications for management goals or conservation efforts in these mutualistic communities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:52:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b2aef3d4ab2341b89fd1e62231ea9b11 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:52:14Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-b2aef3d4ab2341b89fd1e62231ea9b112023-12-03T13:09:49ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592023-11-0111e1631910.7717/peerj.16319Manipulating network connectance by altering plant attractivenessLaura Russo0Jane C. Stout1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USADepartment of Botany, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin, IrelandBackground Mutualistic interactions between plants and their pollinating insects are critical to the maintenance of biodiversity. However, we have yet to demonstrate that we are able to manage the structural properties of these networks for the purposes of pollinator conservation and preserving functional outcomes, such as pollination services. Our objective was to explore the extent of our ability to experimentally increase, decrease, and maintain connectance, a structural attribute that reflects patterns of insect visitation and foraging preferences. Patterns of connectance relate to the stability and function of ecological networks. Methods We implemented a 2-year field experiment across eight sites in urban Dublin, Ireland, applying four agrochemical treatments to fixed communities of seven flowering plant species in a randomized block design. We spent ~117 h collecting 1,908 flower-visiting insects of 92 species or morphospecies with standardized sampling methods across the 2 years. We hypothesized that the fertilizer treatment would increase, herbicide decrease, and a combination of both maintain the connectance of the network, relative to a control treatment of just water. Results Our results showed that we were able to successfully increase network connectance with a fertilizer treatment, and maintain network connectance with a combination of fertilizer and herbicide. However, we were not successful in decreasing network connectance with the herbicide treatment. The increase in connectance in the fertilized treatment was due to an increased species richness of visiting insects, rather than changes to their abundance. We also demonstrated that this change was due to an increase in the realized proportion of insect visitor species rather than increased visitation by common, generalist species of floral visitors. Overall, this work suggests that connectance is an attribute of network structure that can be manipulated, with implications for management goals or conservation efforts in these mutualistic communities.https://peerj.com/articles/16319.pdfNetwork controlExperimental networksPlant-pollinator networksConnectanceAgrochemical treatmentsfertilizer |
| spellingShingle | Laura Russo Jane C. Stout Manipulating network connectance by altering plant attractiveness PeerJ Network control Experimental networks Plant-pollinator networks Connectance Agrochemical treatments fertilizer |
| title | Manipulating network connectance by altering plant attractiveness |
| title_full | Manipulating network connectance by altering plant attractiveness |
| title_fullStr | Manipulating network connectance by altering plant attractiveness |
| title_full_unstemmed | Manipulating network connectance by altering plant attractiveness |
| title_short | Manipulating network connectance by altering plant attractiveness |
| title_sort | manipulating network connectance by altering plant attractiveness |
| topic | Network control Experimental networks Plant-pollinator networks Connectance Agrochemical treatments fertilizer |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/16319.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT laurarusso manipulatingnetworkconnectancebyalteringplantattractiveness AT janecstout manipulatingnetworkconnectancebyalteringplantattractiveness |