Let's move out together: a framework for the intersections between movement and mutualism

Abstract

Movement is a widespread behavior across organisms and is driven in part by interspecific interactions. Generally, negative interspecific interactions (such as competition and natural enemies) are more often studied in the context of movement than positive interactions (mutualism). Mutualistic relationships are incredibly common, yet only a subset are studied in the context of movement (transportation mutualisms). Overall, the costs and benefits that an individual experiences are shaped both by their movement behavior and their mutualistic relationships, as well as the intersection between these. Here we argue that the intersection between movement behavior and mutualistic relationships is understudied, and we present a conceptual framework to synthesize the links between movement and mutualisms and give examples of species that exhibit each. Our framework serves both to highlight the ways that mutualism can shape movement (and vice versa) and to draw parallels across different organisms (enabling a more abstract perspective of these biological systems, complementing the system-focused perspective). Finally, we show how considering movement in light of mutualisms (and vice versa) presents a number of new research questions to be answered by each empirical and theoretical approach going forward.

Multikingdom interactions govern the microbiome in subterranean cultural heritage sites

“…Multiple theories could explain the mechanisms of microorganisms to disperse and thrive in these environments alone or in combination. First, interspecies mutualism can help the dispersal of microorganisms ( 15 ). Actinobacteria have been reported to release geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol, terpenoid substances which can attract soil-dwelling arthropods (e.g., springtails) as food sources and/or defensive symbionts ( 16 ) to help them disperse in fecal pellets and/or attach to bodies when arthropods move around ( 17 ).…”

How to outrun your parasites (or mutualists): symbiont transmission mode is key

“…Fourth, one could explore what happens when symbiont partnering happens during the dispersal process itself. The transient phase of movement can expose organisms to novel parasites and pathogens (Daversa et al 2017) and moving is one of the ways unpartnered organisms can locate mutualistic partners (Shaw et al 2021). Fifth, one could explore the role of evolution (and eco-evolutionary feedback loops) during spread, as mentioned above.…”

The geographic footprint of mutualism: How mutualists influence species' range limits

“…The most familiar of these are food‐for‐dispersal mutualisms in which one partner provides rewards in exchange for movement; although best studied in plants and seed dispersers (e.g., Gómez et al, 2022), dispersal is a benefit in other interactions as well, for example, the movement of fungal spores by mammals (Kotter & Farentinos, 1984); the movement of nectar microbes by pollinators (Russell et al, 2019); and the movement of algal symbionts by coral reef fish (Grupstra et al, 2021). While the fitness implications of movement and handling of propagules by dispersers may be diverse (Beckman et al, 2019; Shaw et al, 2021), we focused on mutualist‐mediated movement per se. Throughout this section, the focal species is the partner that is dispersed by a mutualist.…”