The spatial scaling of mutualistic network diversity
How species richness scales spatially is a foundational concept of community ecology, but how biotic interactions scale spatially is poorly known. Previous studies have proposed interactions-area relationships (IARs) based on two competing relationships for how the number of interactions scale with...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research: Ecology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-664X/ad1f4a |
| _version_ | 1797313081183830016 |
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| author | Manette E Sandor Morgan W Tingley Chris S Elphick |
| author_facet | Manette E Sandor Morgan W Tingley Chris S Elphick |
| author_sort | Manette E Sandor |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | How species richness scales spatially is a foundational concept of community ecology, but how biotic interactions scale spatially is poorly known. Previous studies have proposed interactions-area relationships (IARs) based on two competing relationships for how the number of interactions scale with the number of species, the ‘link-species scaling law’ and the ‘constant connectance hypothesis.’ The link-species scaling law posits that the number of interactions per species remains constant as the size of the network increases. The constant connectance hypothesis says that the proportion of realized interactions remains constant with network size. While few tests of these IARs exist, evidence for the original interactions-species relationships are mixed. We propose a novel IAR and test it against the two existing IARs. We first present a general theory for how interactions scale spatially and the mathematical relationship between the IAR and the species richness-area curve. We then provide a new mathematical formulation of the IAR, accounting for connectance varying with area. Employing data from three mutualistic networks (i.e. a network which specifies interconnected and mutually-beneficial interactions between two groups of species), we evaluate three competing models of how interactions scale spatially: two previously published IAR models and our proposed IAR. We find the new IAR described by our theory-based equation fits the empirical datasets equally as well as the previously proposed IAR based on the link-species scaling law in one out of three cases and better than the previously-proposed models in two out of three cases. Our novel IAR improves upon previous models and quantifies mutualist interactions across space, which is paramount to understanding biodiversity and preventing its loss. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T02:23:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e77c18c701e74e648f0fec2155ce45d5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2752-664X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T02:23:34Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research: Ecology |
| spelling | doaj.art-e77c18c701e74e648f0fec2155ce45d52024-02-13T14:22:38ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research: Ecology2752-664X2024-01-013101500210.1088/2752-664X/ad1f4aThe spatial scaling of mutualistic network diversityManette E Sandor0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3665-4837Morgan W Tingley1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1477-2218Chris S Elphick2Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut , 75 N. Eagleville Road, Unit 3043, Storrs, CT 06269, United States of America; Landscape Conservation Initiative, Northern Arizona University , PO Box 5694, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, United States of America; Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University , 10th Floor Schermerhorn Ext, 1200 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY, 10025, United States of America; Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History , 79th St and Central Park West, New York, NY, 10024, United States of AmericaEcology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut , 75 N. Eagleville Road, Unit 3043, Storrs, CT 06269, United States of America; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California—Los Angeles , 621 Charles E Young Dr S #951606, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States of AmericaEcology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut , 75 N. Eagleville Road, Unit 3043, Storrs, CT 06269, United States of AmericaHow species richness scales spatially is a foundational concept of community ecology, but how biotic interactions scale spatially is poorly known. Previous studies have proposed interactions-area relationships (IARs) based on two competing relationships for how the number of interactions scale with the number of species, the ‘link-species scaling law’ and the ‘constant connectance hypothesis.’ The link-species scaling law posits that the number of interactions per species remains constant as the size of the network increases. The constant connectance hypothesis says that the proportion of realized interactions remains constant with network size. While few tests of these IARs exist, evidence for the original interactions-species relationships are mixed. We propose a novel IAR and test it against the two existing IARs. We first present a general theory for how interactions scale spatially and the mathematical relationship between the IAR and the species richness-area curve. We then provide a new mathematical formulation of the IAR, accounting for connectance varying with area. Employing data from three mutualistic networks (i.e. a network which specifies interconnected and mutually-beneficial interactions between two groups of species), we evaluate three competing models of how interactions scale spatially: two previously published IAR models and our proposed IAR. We find the new IAR described by our theory-based equation fits the empirical datasets equally as well as the previously proposed IAR based on the link-species scaling law in one out of three cases and better than the previously-proposed models in two out of three cases. Our novel IAR improves upon previous models and quantifies mutualist interactions across space, which is paramount to understanding biodiversity and preventing its loss.https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-664X/ad1f4aant-plantconnectanceecological networksmutualismsnetwork-area relationshippollination |
| spellingShingle | Manette E Sandor Morgan W Tingley Chris S Elphick The spatial scaling of mutualistic network diversity Environmental Research: Ecology ant-plant connectance ecological networks mutualisms network-area relationship pollination |
| title | The spatial scaling of mutualistic network diversity |
| title_full | The spatial scaling of mutualistic network diversity |
| title_fullStr | The spatial scaling of mutualistic network diversity |
| title_full_unstemmed | The spatial scaling of mutualistic network diversity |
| title_short | The spatial scaling of mutualistic network diversity |
| title_sort | spatial scaling of mutualistic network diversity |
| topic | ant-plant connectance ecological networks mutualisms network-area relationship pollination |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-664X/ad1f4a |
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