33 research outputs found
Phenology, caudex growth and age estimation of Cyathea corcovadensis (Raddi) Domin (Cyatheaceae) in a subtropical forest in southern Brazil
Are Nested Networks More Robust to Disturbance? A Test Using Epiphyte-Tree, Comensalistic Networks
Recent research on ecological networks suggests that mutualistic networks are
more nested than antagonistic ones and, as a result, they are more robust
against chains of extinctions caused by disturbances. We evaluate whether
mutualistic networks are more nested than comensalistic and antagonistic
networks, and whether highly nested, host-epiphyte comensalistic networks fit
the prediction of high robustness against disturbance. A review of 59 networks
including mutualistic, antagonistic and comensalistic relationships showed that
comensalistic networks are significantly more nested than antagonistic and
mutualistic networks, which did not differ between themselves. Epiphyte-host
networks from old-growth forests differed from those from disturbed forest in
several topological parameters based on both qualitative and quantitative
matrices. Network robustness increased with network size, but the slope of this
relationship varied with nestedness and connectance. Our results indicate that
interaction networks show complex responses to disturbances, which influence
their topology and indirectly affect their robustness against species
extinctions