Title: Plant-pollinator network assembly along the chronosequence of a glacier foreland
Abstract: OikosVolume 119, Issue 10 p. 1610-1624 Plant–pollinator network assembly along the chronosequence of a glacier foreland Matthias Albrecht, Matthias Albrecht Inst. of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Univ. of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH–8057 Zurich, SwitzerlandSearch for more papers by this authorMatthias Riesen, Matthias Riesen Inst. of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Univ. of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH–8057 Zurich, SwitzerlandSearch for more papers by this authorBernhard Schmid, Bernhard Schmid Inst. of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Univ. of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH–8057 Zurich, SwitzerlandSearch for more papers by this author Matthias Albrecht, Matthias Albrecht Inst. of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Univ. of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH–8057 Zurich, SwitzerlandSearch for more papers by this authorMatthias Riesen, Matthias Riesen Inst. of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Univ. of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH–8057 Zurich, SwitzerlandSearch for more papers by this authorBernhard Schmid, Bernhard Schmid Inst. of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Univ. of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH–8057 Zurich, SwitzerlandSearch for more papers by this author First published: 14 September 2010 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2010.18376.xCitations: 68 M. Albrecht, Inst. of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Univ. of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH–8057 Zurich, Switzerland. E-mail: [email protected] Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Abstract Forelands of retreating glaciers offer an ideal model system to study community assembly processes during primary succession. As plants colonize the area that is freed from ice they should be accompanied by their pollinators to successfully reproduce and spread. However, little is known about the assembly of plant–pollinator networks. We therefore used quantitative network analysis to study the structure of plant–pollinator interactions at seven sites representing a chronosequence from 8 to 130 years since deglaciation on the foreland of the Morteratsch glacier (southeastern Switzerland). At these sites, individual visits of plant flowers by insects were recorded throughout the flowering season. Species richness of insect-pollinated plants and plant-pollinating insects, together with measures of interaction diversity and evenness, increased along the chronosequence at least for the first 80 years after deglaciation. Bees were the most frequent flower visitors at the two youngest sites, whereas flies dominated in mature communities. Pollinator generalization (the number of visited plant species weighted by interaction strength), but not plant generalization, strongly increased during the primary succession. This was reflected in a pronounced decline in network level specialization (measured as Blüthgen's H2’) and interaction strength asymmetry during the first 60 years along the chronosequence, while nestedness increased along the chronosequence. Thus, our findings contradict niche-theoretical predictions of increasing specialization of pollination systems during succession, but are in agreement with expectations from optimal foraging theory, predicting an increase in pollinator generalization with higher plant diversity but similar flower abundance, and an increase in diet breadth at higher pollinator densities during primary succession. Citing Literature Volume119, Issue10October 2010Pages 1610-1624 RelatedInformation