Linking species-level network metrics to flower traits and plant fitness

1. Theoretical models indicate that the structure of plant-pollinator networks has important implications for species’ reproduction and survival. However, despite the growing information on the mechanisms underlying such structure, we are still far from being able to predict the functional consequences of species’ structural positions in such networks. From the plants’ perspective, species position and roles in pollination networks might be related to traits describing flower attractiveness, availability, and dependence on pollinators. In turn, both, network metrics and species traits might influence plant fitness.
2. During two field seasons, we collected data of the 23 most abundant plant species from a rich coastal community in order to evaluate the association between population and floral traits (floral abundance at the population level and flowers/individual, flower shape and size, flowering length, nectar volume, pollinator dependence), species-level network metrics (linkage leve...

1. 理论模型表明，植物-传粉者网络（plant-pollinator networks）的结构对物种的繁殖与存活具有重要意义。尽管目前关于该结构背后的形成机制已有越来越多的研究进展，但我们仍难以准确预测物种在这类网络中的结构位置所带来的功能后果。从植物的视角来看，其在传粉网络中的位置与功能角色，可能与其花朵的吸引力、可获得性以及对传粉者的依赖程度等花部性状相关。反过来，网络指标（network metrics）与物种性状均可能影响植物适合度（plant fitness）。
2. 在两个野外季（field seasons）期间，我们从一个物种丰富的海岸群落（coastal community）中采集了23种丰度最高的植物的相关数据，以评估种群性状与花部性状（种群水平的花丰度、单株花朵数、花形与花大小、开花时长、花蜜体积以及对传粉者的依赖程度）、物种水平网络指标（连接水平……）之间的关联。