Structural stability of mutualistic networks over large geographic and temporal scales

Abstract

Mutualistic interactions form species-rich, complex networks that play essential roles for ecosystem function. Over macroevolutionary time scales, global- and continental-level networks change as species emerge and go extinct, yet the stability of their structural organization remains poorly understood. Here, we develop ELEFANT, a novel method for reconstructing ancestral interaction networks based on the hypothesis that species interactions are shaped by unobserved traits that evolve over evolutionary time. We show that ancestral interaction networks can be reliably reconstructed from present-day phylogenetic and interaction data. We infer the ancestral networks of plant mutualisms involving arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, bat pollinators, and bird seed dispersers at large biogeographic scales. We find that these mutualistic networks exhibit a modular structure that seems to have persisted for millions of years, in part maintained by the evolutionary conservatism of species interactions. As species diversify, they tend to show limited shifts in mutualistic partners, which results in a remarkable long-term stability of mutualistic network structure at large spatial scales.