Scholarly Work - Ecology
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/8716
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Item Dynamics of a plant–pollinator network: extending the Bianconi–Barabási model(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2024-06) Castillo, William J.; Burkle, Laura A.; Dormann, Carsten F.We study the dynamical assembly of weighted bipartite networks to understand the hidden mechanisms of pollination, expanding the Bianconi–Barabási model where nodes have intrinsic properties. Allowing for a non-linear interaction rate, which represents the seasonality of flowers and pollinators, our analysis reveals similarity of this extended Bianconi–Barabási model with field observations. While our current approach may not fully account for the diverse range of interaction accretion slopes observed in the real world, we regard it as an important step towards enriching theoretical models with biological realism.Item Dynamics of a plant–pollinator network: extending the Bianconi–Barabási model(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2024-06) Castillo, William J.; Burkle, Laura A.; Dormann, Carsten F.We study the dynamical assembly of weighted bipartite networks to understand the hidden mechanisms of pollination, expanding the Bianconi–Barabási model where nodes have intrinsic properties. Allowing for a non-linear interaction rate, which represents the seasonality of flowers and pollinators, our analysis reveals similarity of this extended Bianconi–Barabási model with field observations. While our current approach may not fully account for the diverse range of interaction accretion slopes observed in the real world, we regard it as an important step towards enriching theoretical models with biological realism.Item Wildfire severity alters drivers of interaction beta-diversity in plant–bee networks(Wiley, 2022-01) Burkle, Laura A.; Belote, R. Travis; Myers, Jonathan A.Spatial variation in species interactions (interaction β-diversity) and its ecological drivers are poorly understood, despite their relevance to community assembly, conservation and ecosystem functioning. We investigated effects of wildfire severity on patterns and four proximate ecological drivers of interaction β-diversity in plant–bee communities across three localities in the northern Rocky Mountains (Montana, USA). Wildfires decreased interaction β-diversity but increased interaction frequency (number of visits) and richness (number of links). After controlling for interaction frequency and richness, standardized effect sizes of interaction β-diversity were highest following mixed-severity wildfires, intermediate following high-severity wildfires and lowest in unburned landscapes, suggesting that wildfire increases spatial aggregation of plant–bee interactions. Moreover, higher effect sizes in burned landscapes were largely determined by turnover in the species composition of both trophic levels rather than by interaction rewiring (spatial turnover in local species interactions not due to species turnover). The underrepresented level of rewiring indicated spatial consistency in post-disturbance patterns of interactions among co-occurring species. Together, our findings suggest that wildfire alters the β-diversity of mutualistic species interactions via linked assembly of plant–bee communities and provide insights into how environmental change alters complex networks of species interactions.Item Proximity to wildflower strips did not boost crop pollination on small, diversified farms harboring diverse wild bees(Elsevier, 2022-05) Delphia, Casey M.; O'Neill, Kevin M.; Burkle, Laura A.The yield of many agricultural crops depends on pollination services provided by wild and managed bees, many of which are experiencing declines due to factors such as reductions in floral resources. Thus, improving pollinator habitat on farmlands using management strategies like planting wildflower strips is vital for wild bee conservation and sustainable crop pollination. Yet, few studies have examined whether and at what spatial scales wildflower strips enhance crop pollination and yields, and most research has been conducted in large-scale commercial agriculture. Therefore, we investigated the effects of wildflower strips on crop pollination on small, diversified farms (i.e., those growing a variety of crop species) where wild bee diversity and abundance is predicted to be comparatively high. Over three years, on four diversified farms in Montana USA, we tested the hypothesis that distance (20, 60, and 180 m) of crops from native perennial wildflower strips planted alongside crop fields affected wild bee visitation, pollination, and yields of squash and sunflower crop plants. We found that distance to wildflower strips did not affect bee visitation or pollination in crops. Squash yield was pollen-limited in the growing season prior to wildflower strip establishment, and in one of the two years after wildflower strip establishment, but proximity to wildflower strips did not influence the magnitude of pollen limitation. Sunflower seed production was not pollen-limited in any year. Our findings demonstrate that even on diverse farms with wildflower strips and a demonstrated high diversity of bees, some crops do not necessarily receive maximum pollination, regardless of distance from the wildflower strips. However, the value of wildflower strips for supporting wild bee diversity, and other ecological or economic benefits, needs consideration for a full understanding of this pollinator habitat management strategy.Item Asynchrony between solitary bee emergence and flower availability reduces flower visitation rate and may affect offspring size(Elsevier, 2021-08) Slominski, Anthony H.; Burkle, Laura A.Climate change can disrupt plant-pollinator interactions when shifts in the timing of pollinator activity and flowering occur unequally (i.e., phenological asynchrony). Phenological asynchrony between spring-emerging solitary bees and spring-flowering plants may cause bees to experience food deprivation that can affect their reproductive success. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects of food deprivation on solitary bee reproduction remain unknown. We investigated 1) whether food deprivation caused by phenological asynchrony affects solitary bee reproduction by influencing female lifespan and/or visitation to flowers, and 2) the relationship between the magnitude of asynchrony and bee responses. We simulated phenological asynchrony by depriving emerged female Osmia cornifrons (a spring-active solitary bee species) of nectar and pollen for 0 to 16 days. Following asynchrony treatments, we used flight cages to monitor 1) post-treatment female lifespan, 2) flower visitation, and 3) reproduction (i.e., total offspring, offspring weight, sex ratio). We found that post-treatment female lifespan was not affected by phenological asynchrony treatments, but that flower visitation rate and offspring weight decreased as the magnitude of asynchrony increased. Due to low offspring production and a lack of female offspring across treatments, we were unable to assess the effects of phenological asynchrony on total offspring produced or sex ratio. Findings suggest that post-emergence food deprivation caused by phenological asynchrony may affect offspring size by influencing nest-provisioning rates. In solitary bees, body size influences wintering survival, fecundity, and mating success. Thus, phenological asynchrony may have consequences for solitary bee populations that stem from reduced flower visitation rates, and these consequences may increase as the magnitude of asynchrony increases. Because many wild flowering plants and crops rely on pollination services provided by bees for reproductive success, bee responses to phenological asynchrony may also affect wild plant biodiversity and crop yields.Item Earlier spring snowmelt drives arrowleaf balsamroot phenology in montane meadow(Wiley, 2022-08) Durney, J. Simone; Engel, Arden; Debinski, Diane M.; Burkle, Laura A.Climate change is shifting phenology globally, altering when and how species respond to environmental cues such as temperature and the timing of snowmelt. These shifts may result in phenological mismatches among interacting species, creating cascading effects on community and ecosystem dynamics. Using passive warming structures and snow removal, we examined how experimentally increased temperatures, earlier spring snowmelt, and the poorly understood interaction between warming and earlier spring snowmelt affected flower onset, flowering duration, and maximum floral display of the spring-flowering montane species, arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata), over a 7-year period. Additionally, potential cumulative effects of treatments were evaluated over the study duration. The combination of heating with snow removal led to earlier flower onset, extended flowering duration, and increased maximum floral display. While there was year-to-year variation in floral phenology, the effect of heating with snow removal on earlier onset and maximum floral display strengthened over time. This suggests that short-term studies likely underestimate the potential for climate change to influence phenological plant traits. Overall, this research indicates that B. sagittata's flowering onset responded more strongly to snow removal than to heating, but the combination of heating with snow removal allowed plants to bloom earlier, longer, and more profusely, providing more pollinator resources in spring. If warming and early snowmelt cause similar responses in other plant species, these patterns could mitigate phenological mismatches with pollinators by providing a wider window of time for interaction and resiliency in the face of change. This example demonstrates that a detailed understanding of how spring-flowering plants respond to specific aspects of predicted climatic scenarios will improve our understanding of the effects of climate change on native plant–pollinator interactions in montane ecosystems. Studies like this help elucidate the long-term physiological effects of climate-induced stressors on plant phenology in long-lived forbs.Item Earlier spring snowmelt drives arrowleaf balsamroot phenology in montane meadows(Wiley, 2022-08) Durney, J. Simone; Engel, Arden; Debinski, Diane M.; Burkle, Laura A.Climate change is shifting phenology globally, altering when and how species respond to environmental cues such as temperature and the timing of snowmelt. These shifts may result in phenological mismatches among interacting species, creating cascading effects on community and ecosystem dynamics. Using passive warming structures and snow removal, we examined how experimentally increased temperatures, earlier spring snowmelt, and the poorly understood interaction between warming and earlier spring snowmelt affected flower onset, flowering duration, and maximum floral display of the spring-flowering montane species, arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata), over a 7-year period. Additionally, potential cumulative effects of treatments were evaluated over the study duration. The combination of heating with snow removal led to earlier flower onset, extended flowering duration, and increased maximum floral display. While there was year-to-year variation in floral phenology, the effect of heating with snow removal on earlier onset and maximum floral display strengthened over time. This suggests that short-term studies likely underestimate the potential for climate change to influence phenological plant traits. Overall, this research indicates that B. sagittata's flowering onset responded more strongly to snow removal than to heating, but the combination of heating with snow removal allowed plants to bloom earlier, longer, and more profusely, providing more pollinator resources in spring. If warming and early snowmelt cause similar responses in other plant species, these patterns could mitigate phenological mismatches with pollinators by providing a wider window of time for interaction and resiliency in the face of change. This example demonstrates that a detailed understanding of how spring-flowering plants respond to specific aspects of predicted climatic scenarios will improve our understanding of the effects of climate change on native plant–pollinator interactions in montane ecosystems. Studies like this help elucidate the long-term physiological effects of climate-induced stressors on plant phenology in long-lived forbs.Item Salvage logging management affects species' roles in connecting plant–pollinator interaction networks across post‐wildfire landscapes(Wiley, 2021-08) Burkle, Laura A.; Heil, Laura J.; Belote, R. TravisSpatial connections between habitats are important to allow movement of organisms across heterogeneous landscapes with diverse disturbances and management. Similarly, species providing functional connections between subnetworks of species interactions (modules) are important for ecosystem services across these landscapes. These functional connectors have received less study. In post-wildfire landscapes, we investigated the influence of salvage logging, a common management technique, on plant–pollinator network modularity. We measured the composition, strength and characteristics of forb and bee connector species across spatial and temporal scales. Salvage logging influenced the structure of plant–pollinator interaction networks. Network modularity was higher in salvage- logged areas compared to unlogged areas, indicating that logging functionally fragmented these species interactions. There were compositional differences in connectors, especially of plants, be-tween logged and unlogged areas. Plant species, but not bee species, had weaker connections across modules in salvage- logged areas, suggesting that although some plant species were serving as connectors after salvage logging, they were performing worse in this role. While some suites of species formed spatial connections, others formed temporal connections (linking interactions across the growing season), indicating that disparate groups of species are likely needed to provide these critical functions across space and time. Synthesis and applications. Investigating species’ roles as connectors can provide a more complete understanding of the implications of management and provide insight into how best to conserve or restore the structure and function of species interactions across landscape mosaics. Bees may be more capable of readily responding to changes in their plant partner's spatial or temporal distributions due to salvage logging. As a result, bees may be better poised to maintain stable connections across modules compared to plants, and management actions supporting highly mobile connector species (like bees) may help offset detrimental effects of salvage logging or other disturbances. This work also indicates that minimizing the spatial extent of salvage logging relative to the proximity of other habitat types will likely aid species in forming spatial connections. Applying this framework of species as network connectors may help maintain the spatial and temporal continuity of floral resources and pollination services, even when management reduces biodiversity.Item The indirect paths to cascading effects of extinctions in mutualistic networks(2020-05) Pires, Mathias M.; O'Donnell, James L.; Burkle, Laura A.; Diaz-Castelazo, Cecilia; Hembry, David H.; Yeakel, Justin D.; Newman, Erica A.; Medeiros, Lucas P.; de Aguiar, Marcus A. M.; Guimaraes, Paulo R.Biodiversity loss is a hallmark of our times, but predicting its consequences is challenging. Ecological interactions form complex networks with multiple direct and indirect paths through which the impacts of an extinction may propagate. Here we show that accounting for these multiple paths connecting species is necessary to predict how extinctions affect the integrity of ecological networks. Using an approach initially developed for the study of information flow, we estimate indirect effects in plant-pollinator networks and find that even those species with several direct interactions may have much of their influence over others through long indirect paths. Next, we perform extinction simulations in those networks and show that although traditional connectivity metrics fail in the prediction of coextinction patterns, accounting for indirect interaction paths allows predicting species' vulnerability to the cascading effects of an extinction event. Embracing the structural complexity of ecological systems contributes towards a more predictive ecology, which is of paramount importance amid the current biodiversity crisis.