commensal interaction; epiphyte; modularity; nestedness; specialization; Forestry; Ecology; Global and Planetary Change; Nature and Landscape Conservation; Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
Abstract :
[en] Ecological networks are commonly applied to depict general patterns of biotic interactions, which provide tools to understand the mechanism of community assembly. Commensal interactions between epiphytes and their hosts are a major component of species interactions in forest canopies; however, few studies have investigated species assemblage patterns and network structures of epiphyte–host interactions, particularly non-vascular epiphytes in different types of forest. To analyze the characteristics of network structures between epiphytes and their hosts, composition and distribution of epiphytic bryophytes were investigated from 138 host individuals using canopy cranes in a tropical lowland seasonal rain forest (TRF) and a subtropical montane moist evergreen broad-leaved forest (STF), in Southwest China. We structured binary networks between epiphytic bryophytes and their hosts in these two forests, which presented 329 interactions in the TRF and 545 interactions in the STF. Compared to TRF, the bryophyte–host plant networks were more nested but less modular in the STF. However, both forests generally exhibited a significantly nested structure with low levels of specialization and modularity. The relatively high nestedness may stabilize the ecological networks between epiphytic bryophytes and their hosts. Nevertheless, the low modularity in epiphyte–host networks could be attributed to the lack of co-evolutionary processes, and the low degree of specialization suggests that epiphytes are less likely to colonize specific host species. Vertical distribution of the bryophyte species showed structured modules in the tree basal and crown zones, probably attributing to the adaptation to microclimates within a host individual. This study highlights the nested structure of commensal interaction between epiphytic bryophytes and host trees, and provides a scientific basis to identify key host tree species for conservation and management of biodiversity in forest ecosystems.
Disciplines :
Environmental sciences & ecology
Author, co-author :
Hu, Hai-Xia ✱; CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China ; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China ; Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, China
Quan, Dong-Li; Center for Integrative Conservation, Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, China
Nakamura, Akihiro; CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China ; Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, China
Song, Liang; CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China ; Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, China ; Ailaoshan Station for Subtropical Forest Ecosystem Studies, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jingdong, China
✱ These authors have contributed equally to this work.
Language :
English
Title :
Structuring Interaction Networks Between Epiphytic Bryophytes and Their Hosts in Yunnan, SW China
This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 32171529 and 31670452), the Natural Science Foundation of Yunnan Province (No. 202101AT070059), the CAS “Light of West China” Program, the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Special Fund (Biodiversity Monitoring and Network Construction along Lancang-Mekong River Basin Project), the CAS 135 Program (Nos. 2017XTBG-F03 and 2017XTBG-F01), the candidates of the Young and Middle-Aged Academic Leaders of Yunnan Province (No. 2019HB040), and the Yunnan Ten Thousand Plan Young and Elite Talents Project (YNWR-QNBJ-2020-066).This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 32171529 and 31670452), the Natural Science Foundation of Yunnan Province (No. 202101AT070059), the CAS ?Light of West China? Program, the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Special Fund (Biodiversity Monitoring and Network Construction along Lancang-Mekong River Basin Project), the CAS 135 Program (Nos. 2017XTBG-F03 and 2017XTBG-F01), the candidates of the Young and Middle-Aged Academic Leaders of Yunnan Province (No. 2019HB040), and the Yunnan Ten Thousand Plan Young and Elite Talents Project (YNWR-QNBJ-2020-066).
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