Université de Fribourg

Why are some plant–pollinator networks more nested than others?

Song, Chuliang ; Rohr, Rudolf P. ; Saavedra, Serguei

In: Journal of Animal Ecology, 2017, vol. 86, no. 6, p. 1417–1424

Empirical studies have found that the mutualistic interactions forming the structure of plant–pollinator networks are typically more nested than expected by chance alone. Additionally, theoretical studies have shown a positive association between the nested structure of mutualistic networks and community persistence. Yet, it has been shown that some plant–pollinator networks may be more...

Université de Fribourg

Reorganization of interaction networks modulates the persistence of species in late successional stages

Saavedra, Serguei ; Cenci, Simone ; del-Val, Ek ; Boege, Karina ; Rohr, Rudolf P.

In: Journal of Animal Ecology, 2017, vol. 86, no. 5, p. 1136–1146

Ecological interaction networks constantly reorganize as interspecific interactions change across successional stages and environmental gradients. This reorganization can also be associated with the extent to which species change their preference for types of niches available in their local sites. Despite the pervasiveness of these interaction changes, previous studies have revealed that...

Université de Fribourg

A structural approach for understanding multispecies coexistence

Saavedra, Serguei ; Rohr, Rudolf P. ; Bascompte, Jordi ; Godoy, Oscar ; Kraft, Nathan J. B. ; Levine, Jonathan M.

In: Ecological Monographs, 2017, p. -

Although observations of species-rich communities have long served as a primary motivation for research on the coexistence of competitors, the majority of our empirical and theoretical understanding comes from two-species systems. How much of the coexistence observed in species rich communities results from indirect effects among competitors that only emerge in diverse systems remains poorly...