Bird and insect pollinators differ in specialization and potential pollination services along disturbance and resource gradients

dc.contributor.authorNeu, Alexander
dc.contributor.authorCooksley, Huw
dc.contributor.authorEsler, Karen J.
dc.contributor.authorPauw, Anton
dc.contributor.authorRoets, Francois
dc.contributor.authorSchurr, Frank M.
dc.contributor.authorSchleuning, Matthias
dc.date.accessioned2024-09-03T07:30:27Z
dc.date.available2024-09-03T07:30:27Z
dc.date.issued2023de
dc.description.abstractCombined studies of the communities and interaction networks of bird and insect pollinators are rare, especially along environmental gradients. Here, we determined how disturbance by fire and variation in sugar resources shape pollinator communities and interactions between plants and their pollinating insects and birds. We recorded insect and bird visits to 21 Protea species across 21 study sites and for 2 years in Fynbos ecosystems in the Western Cape, South Africa. We recorded morphological traits of all pollinator species (41 insect and nine bird species). For each site, we obtained estimates of the time since the last fire (range: 2–25 calendar years) and the Protea nectar sugar amount per hectare (range: 74–62 000 g/ha). We tested how post‐fire age and sugar amount influence the total interaction frequency, species richness and functional diversity of pollinator communities, as well as pollinator specialization (the effective number of plant partners) and potential pollination services (pollination service index) of insects and birds. We found little variation in the total interaction frequency, species richness and functional diversity of insect and bird pollinator communities, but insect species richness increased with post‐fire age. Pollinator specialization and potential pollination services of insects and birds varied differently along the environmental gradients. Bird pollinators visited fewer Protea species at sites with high sugar amount, while there was no such trend for insects. Potential pollination services of insect pollinators to Protea species decreased with increasing post‐fire age and resource amounts, whereas potential pollination services of birds remained constant along the environmental gradients. Despite little changes in pollinator communities, our analyses reveal that insect and bird pollinators differ in their specialization on Protea species and show distinct responses to disturbance and resource gradients. Our comparative study of bird and insect pollinators demonstrates that birds may be able to provide more stable pollination services than insects.en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hohpublica.uni-hohenheim.de/handle/123456789/16196
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13324
dc.language.isoengde
dc.rights.licensecc_byde
dc.source1442-9993de
dc.sourceAustral Ecology; Vol. 48, No. 5 (2023), 1015-1035de
dc.subjectCape Floristic Regionen
dc.subjectCommunity compositionen
dc.subjectPlant–animal interactionsen
dc.subjectPollination networksen
dc.subjectPollinator specializationen
dc.subject.ddc570
dc.titleBird and insect pollinators differ in specialization and potential pollination services along disturbance and resource gradientsen
dc.type.diniArticle
dcterms.bibliographicCitationAustral ecology, 48 (2023), 5, 1015-1035. https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13324. ISSN: 1442-9993
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.issn1442-9993
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.issue5
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.journaltitleAustral ecology
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.volume48
local.export.bibtex@article{Neu2023, url = {https://hohpublica.uni-hohenheim.de/handle/123456789/16196}, doi = {10.1111/aec.13324}, author = {Neu, Alexander and Cooksley, Huw and Esler, Karen J. et al.}, title = {Bird and insect pollinators differ in specialization and potential pollination services along disturbance and resource gradients}, journal = {Austral ecology}, year = {2023}, volume = {48}, number = {5}, }
local.export.bibtexAuthorNeu, Alexander and Cooksley, Huw and Esler, Karen J. et al.
local.export.bibtexKeyNeu2023
local.export.bibtexType@article

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
AEC_AEC13324.pdf
Size:
2.56 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
aec13324-sup.zip
Size:
33.83 KB
Format:
Unknown data format