Abstract
Mutualisms – cooperative interactions among different species – are known to influence global biodiversity. Nevertheless, theoretical and empirical work has led to divergent hypotheses about how mutualisms modulate diversity. We ask here when and how mutualisms influence species richness. Our synthesis suggests that mutualisms can promote or restrict species richness depending on mutualist function, the level of partner dependence, and the specificity of the partnership. These characteristics, which themselves are influenced by environmental and geographic variables, regulate species richness at different scales by modulating speciation, extinction, and community coexistence. Understanding the relative impact of these mechanisms on species richness will require the integration of new phylogenetic comparative models as well as the manipulation and monitoring of experimental communities and their resulting interaction networks.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 698-711 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Trends In Ecology and Evolution |
Volume | 34 |
Issue number | 8 |
Early online date | 17 Apr 2019 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Aug 2019 |
Funding
G.C. is supported by a Glasstone research fellowship and a Junior Research Fellowship at Queen’s College, both at the University of Oxford, UK. M.G.W. is funded by the National Science Foundation ( DIB1831164 ). A.A. is funded by the Swedish Research Council ( B0569601 ), the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research , and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation . J.B. is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation ( 31003A_169671 ). E.T.K. is supported by the European Research Council (ERC 335542 ). We thank D. Edler for discussions on biogeographic networks. G.C. is supported by a Glasstone research fellowship and a Junior Research Fellowship at Queen's College, both at the University of Oxford, UK. M.G.W. is funded by the National Science Foundation (DIB1831164). A.A. is funded by the Swedish Research Council (B0569601), the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. J.B. is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (31003A_169671). E.T.K. is supported by the European Research Council(ERC 335542). We thank D. Edler for discussions on biogeographic networks.
Funders | Funder number |
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Queen's College | |
Queen’s College | |
National Science Foundation | DIB1831164 |
Seventh Framework Programme | 335542 |
European Research Council | |
Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung | 31003A_169671 |
Stiftelsen för Strategisk Forskning | |
Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse | |
Vetenskapsrådet | B0569601 |