Effects of coevolution on the structure and composition of mutualistic networks in metacommunities

Abstract

Ecological interactions connect populations of different species locally, while dispersal between localities connect populations in the landscape, forming metacommunitites. In a metacommunity, the evolutionary processes and the dispersal dynamics can alter the local patterns of interactions between species over time. Understanding how these eco-evolutionary dynamics and the spacial dynamics shape the structure of interaction network in a metacommunity is necessary to comprehend how ecological systems respond to environmental changes. Here, we use a model of metacommunity dynamics that integrates evolution and mutualistic coevolution to comprehend the effects of coevolution and spatial processes on the structure of local and regional networks. I will analyze the structure of mutualistic networks that emerge from the evolutionary and coevolutionary dynamics in a metacommunity, under scenarios of varying strength of coevolution. Using simulations I will then investigate how dispersal limitation and environmental heterogeneity affect network structural patterns. I will also investigate how the variation in the dispersal ability between different species can change the network structure (locally and regionally) and the topological role of species in these networks. With these results, I hope to contribute to a better comprehension of how coevolution can shape interaction networks in space, changing the persistence of species and the maintenance of functions over time.