Bat–flower interaction networks in Caatinga reveal generalized associations and temporal stability

Abstract

Seasonal variation in precipitation regimes influences species composition and plantanimal interactions. Such temporal variation is especially relevant in the Brazilian Caatinga, the largest Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest in South America, where bat pollination is unusually frequent in comparison with other tropical plant communities.Here, we describe seasonal and annual variations of the interaction networks between nectarivorous bats and flower species in the Caatinga. Five species of nectar-feeding bats interacted with 30 plant species. Nectarivorous bats showed high levels of interaction overlap, which contributed to ecological generalization (low specialization and modularity) and lack of nestedness in the interaction networks. This pattern was consistent across seasons and years. Chiropterophilous and non-chiropterophilous plants were equally important components of the interaction network. The generalized interaction patterns found may be a necessary condition for the persistence of nectarivorous bats and their specialized plants in the environmentally harsh and variable Caatinga. The underappreciated generalized interactions of bats with plants calls for studies testing the effectiveness of bats in pollinating the plants they visit, including those not typically categorized as "bat-flowers".

Integrating nocturnal and diurnal interactions in a Neotropical pollination network

“…This may be especially relevant as provision of pollination service by nocturnal pollinators can be unpredictable (e.g., moth pollination, Oliveira et al, 2004), and by also attracting diurnal pollinators, nocturnal plants may increase visitation and pollination opportunities (Potascheff et al, 2020). Interestingly, an opposite occurrence of diurnal opening flowers interacting with nocturnal pollinators was not recorded in our study, although such occurrences are known in other communities (e.g., Cordero‐Schmidt et al, 2021; Diniz et al, 2022). Hence, our findings could further highlight a strategy of nocturnal plants to often make use of diurnal pollinators to increase reproduction chances (Miyake & Yahara, 1998).…”

“…In this way, floral longevity plays an important role in the reproductive ecology of plants influencing the number of pollinator visits (Ferreira et al, 2018; Primack, 1985). Hence, there are also known instances of diurnal opening flowers with extended flower longevity that interact with nocturnal pollinators (Cordero‐Schmidt et al, 2021; Diniz et al, 2022; Gomes et al, 2020).…”

Evolutionary history and precipitation seasonality shape niche overlap in Neotropical bat–plant pollination networks

“…Chiropterophilous flowers have less restrictive morphologies compared to other pollination systems (Fleming et al, 2005; Queiroz et al, 2021). Thus, bat flowers can be visited by obligatory and opportunistic nectar‐feeding bat species in a community (Cordero‐Schmidt et al, 2021; Gonzalez‐Terrazas et al, 2012). Hence, plant and bat morphological traits appear to be less important in shaping niche overlap in bat–plant interactions than the phylogenetic distance among species.…”

The importance of pollination and dispersal syndromes for the conservation of Cerrado Rupestre fragments on ironstone outcrops immersed in an agricultural landscape

“…On plant communities in the Cerrado, ornithophily and quiropterophilly represent less than 5% of all angiosperm species (Rabeling et al 2019). These syndromes are strongly related to specific taxa, especially bromeliads (Rocca and Sazima 2010) and cactuses (Cordero-Schmidt et al 2021), respectively. In the present study, ornithophily was observed in plant species with red or yellow tubular diurnal flowers with large amounts of nectar, on Palicourea rigida (Gentianales, Rubiaceae) (see Fig.…”