Project:
Tropical plant-pollinator networks: The effect of species richness and phylogenetic diversity on the distribution of specialists
Authors: Soraya Villalobos and Jana Vamosi
Collaborator: National Geographic Society
Wild insects pollinators are generally suffering severe population declines due to a number of factors, including intensification in land-use, habitat loss, agrochemicals, and climate change. Yet we still know surprisingly little regarding the impact of pollinator losses on the reproductive ecology of plants and the diversity of ecosystems. While some have postulated that tropical ecosystems may include more specialized species and therefore potentially more susceptible to disturbance, data are truly too sparse to make solid conclusions. For instance, research efforts addressing studies about pollination biology and the impact of pollinator disappearing on plant reproduction are currently under represented in Andean communities. We propose to explore the ideas of (1) geographical variation in pollinator specialization and (2) the effect of phylogenetic diversity on ecosystem services measured as community seed set. We expect to see how the loss of specialists might impact the diversity tropical ecosystems.
Collaborator: National Geographic Society
Wild insects pollinators are generally suffering severe population declines due to a number of factors, including intensification in land-use, habitat loss, agrochemicals, and climate change. Yet we still know surprisingly little regarding the impact of pollinator losses on the reproductive ecology of plants and the diversity of ecosystems. While some have postulated that tropical ecosystems may include more specialized species and therefore potentially more susceptible to disturbance, data are truly too sparse to make solid conclusions. For instance, research efforts addressing studies about pollination biology and the impact of pollinator disappearing on plant reproduction are currently under represented in Andean communities. We propose to explore the ideas of (1) geographical variation in pollinator specialization and (2) the effect of phylogenetic diversity on ecosystem services measured as community seed set. We expect to see how the loss of specialists might impact the diversity tropical ecosystems.