Data and code for Hurtado et al. 2024 - Generalism in species interactions is more the consequence than the cause of ecological success

Generalism in species interactions is more the consequence than the cause of ecological successPilar Hurtado, Gregorio Aragón, Marina Vicente, Bo Dalsgaard, Boris R. Krasnov & Joaquín CalatayudGeneralism in resource use is commonly considered a critical driver of population success, species distribution, and extinction risk. This idea can be questioned, as generalism may be a result, rather than the cause, of species abundance and range size. We test these contrasting causal hypotheses focusing on host use in three databases encompassing ~44.000 mutualistic (hummingbird-plant), commensalistic (lichen-plant), and parasitic (flea-mammal) interactions in 617 ecological communities across the Americas and Eurasia. Across all interaction types, our analyses indicate that range size and abundance influence the probability of encountering hosts and set the arena for species to express generalism potentials or adapt to new hosts. Hence, our findings support the hypothesis that generalism is a consequence of species ecological success. This highlights the importance of ecological opportunity in driving species characteristics considered key for their survival and conservation.

《物种互作中的泛化（generalism）现象更多是生态成功的结果而非成因》
Pilar Hurtado, Gregorio Aragón, Marina Vicente, Bo Dalsgaard, Boris R. Krasnov & Joaquín Calatayud
资源利用中的泛化现象通常被视为种群成功、物种分布与灭绝风险的关键驱动因素。这一观点或可被质疑：泛化现象实则是物种多度与分布范围大小的结果，而非其成因。我们围绕三大数据库中的宿主利用场景，检验了这两种对立的因果假说。这些数据库涵盖了美洲与欧亚大陆617个生态群落内约4.4万条互利（蜂鸟-植物）、偏利共生（地衣-植物）以及寄生（跳蚤-哺乳动物）互作数据。针对所有互作类型的分析均表明，分布范围与种群多度会影响宿主遭遇概率，并为物种表达泛化潜能或适应新宿主提供了基础。因此，本研究结果支持“泛化现象是物种生态成功的结果”这一假说。该研究凸显了生态机会在塑造被认为对物种生存与保护至关重要的物种特征时的重要性。