High resource overlap and a consistently generalised pattern of interactions in a bat-flower network in a seasonally dry landscape
High resource overlap and a consistently generalised pattern of interactions in a bat-flower network in a seasonally dry landscape
Pollination is an ecosystem process that is crucial to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem function. Bats are important pollinators in the tropics and are an integral part of complex plant-pollinator interaction networks. However, network analysis-based approaches are still scarce at the plant species and bat community levels. We used metabarcoding to identify plant taxa present in pollen from fur and faecal samples collected across 1 year from three nectar-feeding bat roosts in central Mexico. We calculated the frequency of occurrence of plant taxa and assembled a zoocentric network of bat-plant interactions. We constructed a year-long network, encompassing the entire period of sampling, two seasonal networks comprising the wet and dry seasons, and six individual networks from sampling at two-month intervals across the year. Four species of nectar-feeding bats interacted with 36 plant species from 16 families. We found highly generalised interaction patterns across networks corresponding with opportunistic feeding behaviour by bats, with little seasonal variation in network structure. There was high resource overlap between bat species, and bats visited a diverse range of plant species even during periods with a high abundance of particular resources in the landscape. The diverse diet of nectar-feeding bats emphasises the importance of floristically rich natural habitats in the landscape to provide reliable foraging resources year-round in a seasonally variable system. While a generalised network structure is thought to increase robustness, further research is necessary to understand how fluctuations in pollinator abundance and diversity in the face of land use and climate change may impact bat-flower networks and the consequences to plant communities.
Tremlett, Constance J.
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Chapman, Mark
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Kathrryn, Maher
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Alexander, Keller
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Bluthgen, Nico
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Peh, Kelvin S.-H.
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Zamora-Gutierrez, Veronica
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Tremlett, Constance J.
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Chapman, Mark
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Kathrryn, Maher
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Alexander, Keller
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Bluthgen, Nico
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Peh, Kelvin S.-H.
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Zamora-Gutierrez, Veronica
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Tremlett, Constance J., Chapman, Mark, Kathrryn, Maher, Alexander, Keller, Bluthgen, Nico, Peh, Kelvin S.-H. and Zamora-Gutierrez, Veronica
(2024)
High resource overlap and a consistently generalised pattern of interactions in a bat-flower network in a seasonally dry landscape.
Ecology and Evolution, 14 (10), [e70367].
(doi:10.1002/ece3.70367).
Abstract
Pollination is an ecosystem process that is crucial to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem function. Bats are important pollinators in the tropics and are an integral part of complex plant-pollinator interaction networks. However, network analysis-based approaches are still scarce at the plant species and bat community levels. We used metabarcoding to identify plant taxa present in pollen from fur and faecal samples collected across 1 year from three nectar-feeding bat roosts in central Mexico. We calculated the frequency of occurrence of plant taxa and assembled a zoocentric network of bat-plant interactions. We constructed a year-long network, encompassing the entire period of sampling, two seasonal networks comprising the wet and dry seasons, and six individual networks from sampling at two-month intervals across the year. Four species of nectar-feeding bats interacted with 36 plant species from 16 families. We found highly generalised interaction patterns across networks corresponding with opportunistic feeding behaviour by bats, with little seasonal variation in network structure. There was high resource overlap between bat species, and bats visited a diverse range of plant species even during periods with a high abundance of particular resources in the landscape. The diverse diet of nectar-feeding bats emphasises the importance of floristically rich natural habitats in the landscape to provide reliable foraging resources year-round in a seasonally variable system. While a generalised network structure is thought to increase robustness, further research is necessary to understand how fluctuations in pollinator abundance and diversity in the face of land use and climate change may impact bat-flower networks and the consequences to plant communities.
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20240910_Bat Pollination Networks-Main Text
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Accepted/In Press date: 11 September 2024
e-pub ahead of print date: 9 October 2024
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Local EPrints ID: 494692
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/494692
ISSN: 2045-7758
PURE UUID: 563f74ac-56ec-4fe4-9fbc-1d4f8aa3333e
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Date deposited: 14 Oct 2024 16:40
Last modified: 19 Oct 2024 02:12
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Author:
Constance J. Tremlett
Author:
Maher Kathrryn
Author:
Keller Alexander
Author:
Nico Bluthgen
Author:
Veronica Zamora-Gutierrez
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