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COPHYG_INTERACT Patterns and drivers of the phylogenetic congruence in interactions between vertebrates and fruiting plants in Neotropics

Grant number: 23/12469-5
Support Opportunities:Scholarships in Brazil - Support Program for Fixating Young Doctors
Effective date (Start): August 01, 2023
Effective date (End): June 30, 2025
Field of knowledge:Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
Acordo de Cooperação: CNPq
Principal Investigator:Marco Aurelio Pizo Ferreira
Grantee:Lisieux Franco Fuzessy
Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
Associated research grant:23/01460-7 - Cophyg_Interact patterns and drivers of the phylogenetic congruence in interactions between vertebrates and fruiting plants in Neotropics, AP.R

Abstract

Understanding the eco-evolutionary dynamics of species interactions requires disentangling intrinsic complexities involved in mutualisms, such as frugivory. Mutual gains are reciprocally crucial: for frugivores the nutritional gain, for plants the dispersal service, which is likely to drive the coupled evolution of interacting clades. The coevolution between vertebrates and plants has been largely hypothesized to be shaped by present-day patterns of mutualistic networks and by the evolution of traits related to fruit consumption. As a step forward, I aim to assess how frugivory and seed dispersal may shape diversification in both vertebrates and plants, and thus offer important clues about the coupled evolutionary history of interacting clades. By estimating cophylogenetic signals (CS hereafter) I will quantify the degree at which phylogenies are congruent in time, structure and if the interaction between evolutionarily coupled taxa still occurs. The results will allow me to make more precise inferences on how ecological interactions shape diversification patterns. I will assess if the patterns of the CS are congruent among communities across Neotropics, and further adopt a multi-taxa approach to evaluate its magnitude using interactions including plants and three major groups of frugivorous vertebrates (primates, birds and bats), considering their functional traits. The outcomes of my research will be relevant for several fundamental and applied scientific disciplines, from community ecology to evolutionary ecology.

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