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Reconstructing past ecological networks: the reconfiguration of seed-dispersal interactions after megafaunal extinction

  • Plant-microbe-animal interactions - Original research
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Abstract

The late Quaternary megafaunal extinction impacted ecological communities worldwide, and affected key ecological processes such as seed dispersal. The traits of several species of large-seeded plants are thought to have evolved in response to interactions with extinct megafauna, but how these extinctions affected the organization of interactions in seed-dispersal systems is poorly understood. Here, we combined ecological and paleontological data and network analyses to investigate how the structure of a species-rich seed-dispersal network could have changed from the Pleistocene to the present and examine the possible consequences of such changes. Our results indicate that the seed-dispersal network was organized into modules across the different time periods but has been reconfigured in different ways over time. The episode of megafaunal extinction and the arrival of humans changed how seed dispersers were distributed among network modules. However, the recent introduction of livestock into the seed-dispersal system partially restored the original network organization by strengthening the modular configuration. Moreover, after megafaunal extinctions, introduced species and some smaller native mammals became key components for the structure of the seed-dispersal network. We hypothesize that such changes in network structure affected both animal and plant assemblages, potentially contributing to the shaping of modern ecological communities. The ongoing extinction of key large vertebrates will lead to a variety of context-dependent rearranged ecological networks, most certainly affecting ecological and evolutionary processes.

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Acknowledgments

We thank D. M. Hansen, P. Jordano and two anonymous reviewers for critical suggestions regards the manuscript. M. M. P., M. G. and P. R. G. were supported by São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP; grant nos. 2009/54422-8, 2004/00810-3, 2008/10154-7, and 2009/54567-6). C. I. D. was supported by Stanford University. M. G., P. R. G. and M. A. P. receive research grants from CNPq. We also thank the Earthwatch Institute and Conservation International for financial support and Conservation International, Lucas Leuzinger and Marina Schweizer for their permission to work on their properties.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, 11294, São Paulo, SP, 05508-900, Brazil

    Mathias M. Pires & Paulo R. Guimarães Jr.

  2. Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, SP, 13506-900, Brazil

    Mauro Galetti

  3. Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    Camila I. Donatti & Rodolfo Dirzo

  4. Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, SP, 13506-900, Brazil

    Marco A. Pizo

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  1. Mathias M. Pires
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  2. Mauro Galetti
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  3. Camila I. Donatti
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  4. Marco A. Pizo
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  6. Paulo R. Guimarães Jr.
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Correspondence to Mathias M. Pires.

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Communicated by Candace Galen.

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Pires, M.M., Galetti, M., Donatti, C.I. et al. Reconstructing past ecological networks: the reconfiguration of seed-dispersal interactions after megafaunal extinction. Oecologia 175, 1247–1256 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-014-2971-1

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