High levels of phenological asynchrony between specialized pollinators and plants with short flowering phases.

Autor: Maglianesi MA; Vicerrectoría de Investigación, Universidad Estatal a Distancia, de la Rotonda La Betania 500 m al este, Carretera a Sabanilla Mercedes de Montes de Oca, San José, 474-2050, Costa Rica., Hanson P; Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, San José, 2060, Costa Rica., Brenes E; Vicerrectoría de Investigación, Universidad Estatal a Distancia, de la Rotonda La Betania 500 m al este, Carretera a Sabanilla Mercedes de Montes de Oca, San José, 474-2050, Costa Rica., Benadi G; Biometry and Environmental System Analysis, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Straße 4, Freiburg im Breisgau, 79106, Germany., Schleuning M; Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt (Main), 60325, Germany., Dalsgaard B; Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, Copenhagen, Ø DK-2100, Denmark.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Ecology [Ecology] 2020 Nov; Vol. 101 (11), pp. e03162. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Sep 27.
DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3162
Abstrakt: Species phenology plays a key role in determining mutualistic interactions, such as those between plants and pollinators. Notably, temporal synchrony shapes the patterns of interactions by influencing the probability of encounters between interacting partners; thus, species phenology greatly contributes to structuring ecological communities. In these communities, specialized species are expected to show a high level of synchrony with their partners; however, the relationship between species phenology and specialization remains largely unexplored. In three localities in the tropical mountains of Costa Rica, we quantified the level of phenological synchrony in plant-pollinator networks and tested whether phenological synchrony is associated with the degree of pollinator specialization on plant partners. We also tested the relationship between pollinator specialization and the length of the flowering phase of the visited plants. Across all three studied networks, our results show a strong asynchrony between interacting plant and pollinator species. We also found that more specialized pollinators were more asynchronous with their plant partners and, moreover, that specialized pollinators preferably visited plant species with shorter flowering phases compared to generalized pollinators. These patterns suggest that specialized pollinators may be more vulnerable to mutualistic disruptions because they depend primarily on short-lived resources and have a high risk of phenological mismatch. This discovery has important consequences for specialized species' potential to survive and adapt to changes in the phenology of their interacting partners, which is highly relevant in a time characterized by changing climates and associated shifts in species phenology.
(© 2020 by the Ecological Society of America.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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