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

Laura A Burkel, John C. Marlin, Tiffany M Knight

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

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.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1611-1615
Number of pages5
JournalScience
Volume340
Issue number6127
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 29 2013

Keywords

  • ISTC

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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