Bridging the gap between individual specialization and species persistence in mutualistic communities

Mutualistic interactions among organisms are fundamental to the origin and maintenance of biodiversity. Yet, the study of community dynamics often relies on values averaged at the species level, ignoring how intraspecific variation can affect those dynamics. We developed a theoretical approach to ev...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Arroyo-Correa, Blanca, Bartomeus, Ignasi, Jordano, Pedro, Cagua, E. Fernando, Stouffer, Daniel B.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/407084
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/407084
https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/105018487956
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Biodiversity maintenance
Coexistence
Community ecology
Ecological networks
Feasibility
Individual variation
Plant fitness
Pollination
Species interactions
id ES_2e2e502c18dee392ed6582eec7f96b97
oai_identifier_str oai:digital.csic.es:10261/407084
network_acronym_str ES
network_name_str España
repository_id_str
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Bridging the gap between individual specialization and species persistence in mutualistic communities
title Bridging the gap between individual specialization and species persistence in mutualistic communities
spellingShingle Bridging the gap between individual specialization and species persistence in mutualistic communities
Arroyo-Correa, Blanca
Biodiversity maintenance
Coexistence
Community ecology
Ecological networks
Feasibility
Individual variation
Plant fitness
Pollination
Species interactions
title_short Bridging the gap between individual specialization and species persistence in mutualistic communities
title_full Bridging the gap between individual specialization and species persistence in mutualistic communities
title_fullStr Bridging the gap between individual specialization and species persistence in mutualistic communities
title_full_unstemmed Bridging the gap between individual specialization and species persistence in mutualistic communities
title_sort Bridging the gap between individual specialization and species persistence in mutualistic communities
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Arroyo-Correa, Blanca
Bartomeus, Ignasi
Jordano, Pedro
Cagua, E. Fernando
Stouffer, Daniel B.
author Arroyo-Correa, Blanca
author_facet Arroyo-Correa, Blanca
Bartomeus, Ignasi
Jordano, Pedro
Cagua, E. Fernando
Stouffer, Daniel B.
author_role author
author2 Bartomeus, Ignasi
Jordano, Pedro
Cagua, E. Fernando
Stouffer, Daniel B.
author2_role author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España)
Asociación Española de Ecología Terrestre
European Commission
Agencia Estatal de Investigación (España)
Junta de Andalucía
University of Canterbury (New Zealand)
Royal Society Te Apārangi
Arroyo-Correa, Blanca [0000-0002-9402-3013]
Bartomeus, Ignasi [0000-0001-7893-4389]
Jordano, Pedro [0000-0003-2142-9116]
Cagua, E. Fernando [0000-0001-5867-3687]
Stouffer, Daniel B. [0000-0001-9436-9674]
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72]
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Biodiversity maintenance
Coexistence
Community ecology
Ecological networks
Feasibility
Individual variation
Plant fitness
Pollination
Species interactions
topic Biodiversity maintenance
Coexistence
Community ecology
Ecological networks
Feasibility
Individual variation
Plant fitness
Pollination
Species interactions
description Mutualistic interactions among organisms are fundamental to the origin and maintenance of biodiversity. Yet, the study of community dynamics often relies on values averaged at the species level, ignoring how intraspecific variation can affect those dynamics. We developed a theoretical approach to evaluate the extent to which variation within populations, in terms of interactions, can influence structural stability, a robust measure of species' likelihood of persistence in mutualistic systems. Next, we examine how intraspecific variation in mutualistic interactions affects species' persistence theoretically in a simplified community, which provides a solid foundation for contextualizing empirical results. This theoretical exploration revealed that differences in the benefits received by different individual types by mutualistic partners, as driven by the way interactions are distributed among those types due to individual specialization, strongly influence species persistence. Building on these insights, we move beyond the theoretical framework and work through an empirical case study involving three co-occurring plant species. Drawing from detailed field data on plant–pollinator interactions and plant fitness, we quantify intraspecific variation in the mutualistic benefits received by plants and incorporate this variation into estimations of structural stability. Through explicit consideration of this facet of intraspecific variation, we found that, for all three focal plant species, populations composed of individuals specialized in pollinator use promote the persistence of the plant species they belong to and their associated pollinator community, only in the absence of heterospecific plant competitors. However, more importantly, these positive effects do not hold when plant species compete with a broader, diverse plant community. In this case, two of the focal plant populations are more vulnerable when they comprise more specialized individuals and therefore are less likely to persist. By integrating the proposed theoretical approach with empirical data, this study highlights the importance of individual variation in promoting species persistence in mutualistic systems. In doing so, it not only advances our understanding of basic mechanisms that foster biodiversity maintenance but also provides practical insights for biodiversity conservation in the face of changing environmental conditions.
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025
2025
2025
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bc
Publisher's version
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10261/407084
https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/105018487956
url http://hdl.handle.net/10261/407084
https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/105018487956
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv #PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE#
#PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE#
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/MIU//FPU19%02552
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/AEI/Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2021-2023/PID2022-136812NB-I00
Arroyo-Correa, Blanca; Bartomeus, Ignasi; Jordano, Pedro; Cagua, E. Fernando; Stouffer, Daniel B.; Bridging the gap between individual specialization and species persistence in mutualistic communities [Software]; Zenodo; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16309177; http://hdl.handle.net/10261/408434
https://doi.org/10.1002/ecm.70031
Sí
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Ecological Society of America
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Ecological Society of America
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
instname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
instname_str Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
reponame_str DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
collection DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
_version_ 1869405386402955264
spelling Bridging the gap between individual specialization and species persistence in mutualistic communitiesArroyo-Correa, BlancaBartomeus, IgnasiJordano, PedroCagua, E. FernandoStouffer, Daniel B.Biodiversity maintenanceCoexistenceCommunity ecologyEcological networksFeasibilityIndividual variationPlant fitnessPollinationSpecies interactionsMutualistic interactions among organisms are fundamental to the origin and maintenance of biodiversity. Yet, the study of community dynamics often relies on values averaged at the species level, ignoring how intraspecific variation can affect those dynamics. We developed a theoretical approach to evaluate the extent to which variation within populations, in terms of interactions, can influence structural stability, a robust measure of species' likelihood of persistence in mutualistic systems. Next, we examine how intraspecific variation in mutualistic interactions affects species' persistence theoretically in a simplified community, which provides a solid foundation for contextualizing empirical results. This theoretical exploration revealed that differences in the benefits received by different individual types by mutualistic partners, as driven by the way interactions are distributed among those types due to individual specialization, strongly influence species persistence. Building on these insights, we move beyond the theoretical framework and work through an empirical case study involving three co-occurring plant species. Drawing from detailed field data on plant–pollinator interactions and plant fitness, we quantify intraspecific variation in the mutualistic benefits received by plants and incorporate this variation into estimations of structural stability. Through explicit consideration of this facet of intraspecific variation, we found that, for all three focal plant species, populations composed of individuals specialized in pollinator use promote the persistence of the plant species they belong to and their associated pollinator community, only in the absence of heterospecific plant competitors. However, more importantly, these positive effects do not hold when plant species compete with a broader, diverse plant community. In this case, two of the focal plant populations are more vulnerable when they comprise more specialized individuals and therefore are less likely to persist. By integrating the proposed theoretical approach with empirical data, this study highlights the importance of individual variation in promoting species persistence in mutualistic systems. In doing so, it not only advances our understanding of basic mechanisms that foster biodiversity maintenance but also provides practical insights for biodiversity conservation in the face of changing environmental conditions.Blanca Arroyo-Correa received funding from the Ministry of Universities of the Spanish Government (FPU19/02552 and EST23/00036) and a project grant from the Spanish Association of Terrestrial Ecology (AEET). Blanca Arroyo-Correa and Pedro Jordano were supported by grants CGL2017-82847-P and PID2022-136812NB-I00, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the “European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR”, grant P20-00736 from Junta de Andalucía, and a LifeWatch ERIC-SUMHAL project (LIFEWATCH-2019-09-CSIC-13), with FEDER-EU funding. E. Fernando Cagua acknowledges the support from the University of Canterbury Doctoral Scholarship, the Meadow Mushrooms Ltd.: University of Canterbury Postgraduate Scholarship, and a Education New Zealand: New Zealand Doctoral Research Scholarship. Daniel B. Stouffer acknowledges the support of a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship (RDF-13-UOC-003), administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi.Peer reviewedEcological Society of AmericaMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España)Asociación Española de Ecología TerrestreEuropean CommissionAgencia Estatal de Investigación (España)Junta de AndalucíaUniversity of Canterbury (New Zealand)Royal Society Te ApārangiArroyo-Correa, Blanca [0000-0002-9402-3013]Bartomeus, Ignasi [0000-0001-7893-4389]Jordano, Pedro [0000-0003-2142-9116]Cagua, E. Fernando [0000-0001-5867-3687]Stouffer, Daniel B. [0000-0001-9436-9674]Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72]202520252025info:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcPublisher's versioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/10261/407084https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/105018487956reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSICinstname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)Inglés#PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE##PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE#info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/MIU//FPU19%02552info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/AEI/Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2021-2023/PID2022-136812NB-I00Arroyo-Correa, Blanca; Bartomeus, Ignasi; Jordano, Pedro; Cagua, E. Fernando; Stouffer, Daniel B.; Bridging the gap between individual specialization and species persistence in mutualistic communities [Software]; Zenodo; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16309177; http://hdl.handle.net/10261/408434https://doi.org/10.1002/ecm.70031Síinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:digital.csic.es:10261/4070842026-05-22T06:33:51Z
score 15,811543

Similares en LA Referencia