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Science 21 April 2006:
Vol. 312. no. 5772, pp. 431 - 433
DOI: 10.1126/science.1123412
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Reports

Asymmetric Coevolutionary Networks Facilitate Biodiversity Maintenance

Jordi Bascompte,1* Pedro Jordano,1 Jens M. Olesen2

The mutualistic interactions between plants and their pollinators or seed dispersers have played a major role in the maintenance of Earth's biodiversity. To investigate how coevolutionary interactions are shaped within species-rich communities, we characterized the architecture of an array of quantitative, mutualistic networks spanning a broad geographic range. These coevolutionary networks are highly asymmetric, so that if a plant species depends strongly on an animal species, the animal depends weakly on the plant. By using a simple dynamical model, we showed that asymmetries inherent in coevolutionary networks may enhance long-term coexistence and facilitate biodiversity maintenance.

1 Integrative Ecology Group, Estaciòn Biològica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientìficas, Apartado 1056, E-41080 Sevilla, Spain.
2 Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Aarhus, Ny Munkegade, Building 540, DK-8000 Aarhus, Denmark.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: bascompte{at}ebd.csic.es

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
High Invasive Pollen Transfer, Yet Low Deposition on Native Stigmas in a Carpobrotus-invaded Community.
I. Bartomeus, J. Bosch, and M. Vila (2008)
Ann. Bot. 102, 417-424
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The modularity of pollination networks.
J. M. Olesen, J. Bascompte, Y. L. Dupont, and P. Jordano (2007)
PNAS 104, 19891-19896
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From the Cover: Synthetic ecosystems based on airborne inter- and intrakingdom communication.
W. Weber, M. Daoud-El Baba, and M. Fussenegger (2007)
PNAS 104, 10435-10440
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Comment on "Asymmetric Coevolutionary Networks Facilitate Biodiversity Maintenance".
J. N. Holland, T. Okuyama, and D. L. DeAngelis (2006)
Science 313, 1887b
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Response to Comment on "Asymmetric Coevolutionary Networks Facilitate Biodiversity Maintenance".
J. Bascompte, P. Jordano, and J. M. Olesen (2006)
Science 313, 1887c
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)