Plant-mediated effects of fire and fragmentation in drive plant-pollinator interaction Beta diversity in fire-dependent pine savannas.

Authors: MORENO-GARCIA, PABLO - University Of Florida; FREEMAN, JOHANNA - Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission; Campbell, Joshua; BROADBENT, EBEN - University Of Florida; ALMEYDA, ANGELICA - University Of Florida; ZAMBRANO, GABRIEL - University Of Florida; DE ALMEIDA, DANILO - Universidad De Sao Paulo; GILB, SCOTT - Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission; BAISER, BENJAMIN - University Of Florida

Submitted to: Oikos
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/9/2023
Publication Date: 10/17/2023
Citation: Moreno-Garcia, P., Freeman, J.E., Campbell, J.W., Broadbent, E.N., Almeyda, A.M., Zambrano, G.P., De Almeida, D.R., Gilb, S., Baiser, B. 2023. Plant-mediated effects of fire and fragmentation in drive plant-pollinator interaction Beta diversity in fire-dependent pine savannas.. Oikos. 2024(1):e10212. https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.10212.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.10212

Interpretive Summary: Beta diversity describes the species diversity between two ecosystems. A good understanding of beta diversity is important for adequate conservation practices to be effective. We collected plant and pollinator data in longleaf pine ecosystems in Florida. Insect pollination can be impacted by many ecosystem threats. Understanding which insects visit certain plants (e.g., plant-pollinator interactions) can help elucidate some of these threats. We tested many different landscape components (e.g., flower abundance, vegetation, fire regime, soil moisture, etc.) to determine which factors drive beta diversity. The abundance and type of flowering plants present, geographic location, fire seasonality, soil moisture, and landscape context were the main drivers of plant-pollinator beta diversity in longleaf savannas. Thus, how we manage longleaf savannas (e.g., prescribed fires) can have a large impact on maintaining beta diversity.

Technical Abstract: Interaction beta diversity is an essential measure to understand and conserve species interactions and ecosystem functioning. Interaction beta diversity explains the variation in species interactions across spatial and temporal gradients, resulting from species turnover or rewiring. Each component of interaction beta diversity has different ecological implications and practical consequences. While interaction beta diversity due to species turnover is related to assembly processes and fragmentation, rewiring can support high biodiversity and confer resilience to ecological networks. Here, we assessed the ecological drivers of plant-pollinator interaction beta diversity and its components across 24 sites in 9 Longleaf Pine (LLP) savannas in North and Central Florida. We evaluated the effects of flowering plant composition and flower abundance, vegetation, fire regime, soil moisture, terrain characteristics, climate, spatial context, and geographic location. We used path analysis to evaluate the drivers of spatial interaction beta diversity and its main components. We then used generalized linear mixed models to assess the temporal patterns of spatial beta diversity among sites within preserves. We found that plant-pollinator networks in LLP savannas are highly variable across space and time, mainly due to species turnover and possibly in response to abiotic gradients and dispersal boundaries. Flower abundance and flowering plant composition, geographic location, fire seasonality, soil moisture, and landscape context were the main drivers of plant-pollinator beta diversity, highlighting the role of fire management and habitat connectivity in preserving plant-pollinator networks.