Data from: Why are some plant-pollinator networks more nested than others?

1. 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 nested than others, raising the
interesting question of which factors are responsible for such enhanced
nested structure. 2. It has been argued that ordered network structures
may increase the persistence of ecological communities under less
predictable environments. This suggests that nested structures of
plant-pollinator networks could be more advantageous under highly seasonal
environments. While several studies have investigated the link between
nestedness and various environmental variables, unfortunately, there has
been no unified answer to validate these predictions. Here, we move from
the problem of describing network structures to the problem of comparing
network structures. We develop comparative statistics, and apply them to
investigate the association between the nested structure of 59
plant-pollinator networks and the temperature seasonality present in their
locations. 3. We demonstrate that higher levels of nestedness are
associated with a higher temperature seasonality. We show that the
previous lack of agreement came from an extended practice of using
standardized measures of nestedness that cannot be compared across
different networks. 4. Importantly, our observations complement theory
showing that more nested network structures can increase the range of
environmental conditions compatible with species coexistence in
mutualistic systems, also known as structural stability. This increase in
nestedness should be more advantageous and occur more often in locations
subject to random environmental perturbations, which could be driven by
highly changing or seasonal environments. This synthesis of theory and
observations could prove relevant for a better understanding of the
ecological processes driving the assembly and persistence of ecological
communities.