title: Evaluating the effects of pollinator-mediated interactions using pollen transfer networks: evidence of widespread facilitation in south Andean plant communities.
abstract: Information about the relative importance of competitive or facilitative pollinator-mediated interactions in a multi-species context is limited. We studied interspecific pollen transfer (IPT) networks to evaluate quantity and quality effects of pollinator sharing among plant species on three high-Andean communities at 1600, 1800 and 2000 m a.s.l. To estimate the sign of the effects (positive, neutral or negative), the relation between conspecific and heterospecific pollen deposited on stigmas was analysed with GLMMs. Network analyses showed that communities were characterised by the presence of pollen hub-donors and receptors. We inferred that facilitative and neutral pollinator-mediated interactions among plants prevailed over competition. Thus, the benefits from pollinator sharing seem to outweigh the costs (i.e. heterospecific deposition and conspecific pollen loss). The largest proportion of facilitated species was found at the highest elevation community, suggesting that under unfavourable conditions for the pollination service and at lower plant densities facilitation can be more common.
authors.affiliation: Cristina Tur. IMEDEA- Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats (CSIC-UIB), Miquel Marqués 21, 07190, Esporles, Illes Balears, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tur
authors.affiliation: Agustín Sáez. Laboratorio ECOTONO, INIBIOMA, UNComa. Pasaje Gutiérrez 1125, Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sáez
authors.affiliation: Anna Traveset. IMEDEA- Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats (CSIC-UIB), Miquel Marqués 21, 07190, Esporles, Illes Balears, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Traveset
authors.affiliation: Marcelo A. Aizen. Laboratorio ECOTONO, INIBIOMA, UNComa. Pasaje Gutiérrez 1125, Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Aizen
mesh_terms: D000531:Altitude; D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D011058:Pollen / Q000378:metabolism*; D054817:Pollination / Q000502:physiology*; D011156:Population Density
keywords: Competition; conspecific pollen loss; facilitation; heterospecific pollen deposition; hub-species; interspecific pollen transfer; multi-species; network; pollination interactions; pollinator sharing