Plant-pollinator interactions over 120 years: loss of species, co-occurrence, and function

Using historic data sets, we quantified the degree to which global change over 120 years disrupted plant-pollinator interactions in a temperate forest understory community in Illinois, USA. We found degradation of interaction network structure and function and extirpation of 50% of bee species. Network changes can be attributed to shifts in forb and bee phenologies resulting in temporal mismatches, nonrandom species extinctions, and loss of spatial co-occurrences between extant species in modified landscapes. Quantity and quality of pollination services have declined through time. The historic network showed flexibility in response to disturbance; however, our data suggest that networks will be less resilient to future changes.

本研究借助历史数据集，量化了美国伊利诺伊州一处温带森林林下群落中，120年间全球变化对植物-传粉者互作网络的干扰程度。研究发现，互作网络的结构与功能发生退化，且50%的蜂类物种发生局地灭绝。互作网络的变化可归因于非禾本草本植物（forb）与蜂类的物候偏移所引发的时间错配、非随机的物种灭绝，以及人为改造景观中现存物种间空间共现关系的丧失。传粉服务的数量与质量均随时间推移出现下降。历史时期的互作网络对干扰曾展现出一定的弹性；但本研究数据表明，未来的环境变化下，此类网络的恢复力将显著降低。