GEMA Center for Genomics, Ecology & Environment, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile.
Programas de Postgrado, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.
Sci Rep. 2018 Oct 5;8(1):14873. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-33265-6.
Plant-pollinator systems are essential for ecosystem functioning, which calls for an understanding of the determinants of their robustness to environmental threats. Previous studies considering such robustness have focused mostly on species' connectivity properties, particularly their degree. We hypothesized that species' phenological attributes are at least as important as degree as determinants of network robustness. To test this, we combined dynamic modeling, computer simulation and analysis of data from 12 plant-pollinator networks with detailed information of topology of interactions as well as species' phenology of plant flowering and pollinator emergence. We found that phenological attributes are strong determinants of network robustness, a result consistent across the networks studied. Plant species persistence was most sensitive to increased larval mortality of pollinators that start earlier or finish later in the season. Pollinator persistence was especially sensitive to decreased visitation rates and increased larval mortality of specialists. Our findings suggest that seasonality of climatic events and anthropic impacts such as the release of pollutants is critical for the future integrity of terrestrial biodiversity.
植物-传粉者系统对生态系统功能至关重要，因此需要了解它们对环境威胁的稳健性的决定因素。之前考虑这种稳健性的研究主要集中在物种的连通性特性上，特别是它们的程度。我们假设物种的物候属性至少与程度一样，是决定网络稳健性的重要因素。为了验证这一点，我们结合了动态建模、计算机模拟以及来自 12 个植物-传粉者网络的数据的分析，这些网络具有详细的相互作用拓扑结构以及植物开花和传粉者出现的物候信息。我们发现，物候属性是网络稳健性的重要决定因素，这一结果在研究的网络中是一致的。植物物种的持久性对传粉者幼虫死亡率的增加最为敏感，这些传粉者在季节中出现得更早或结束得更晚。传粉者的持久性特别容易受到访问率降低和专门传粉者幼虫死亡率增加的影响。我们的研究结果表明，气候事件的季节性和人为影响（如污染物的释放）对陆地生物多样性的未来完整性至关重要。
