The Impact of Mutualisms on Species Richness. (August 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chomicki, Guillaume; Weber, Marjorie; Antonelli, Alexandre; Bascompte, Jordi; Kiers, E. Toby
• Is Part Of: Trends in ecology & evolution. Volume 34:Number 8(2019)
• Page Start: 698
• Page End: 711
• Publication Date: 2019-08
• Subjects: Ecology -- Periodicals; Evolution (Biology) -- Periodicals; 576.8
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.03.003
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0169-5347

Abstract

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. Highlights: There are contrasting hypotheses about the influence of mutualisms on species richness. We provide a synthetic framework for how mutualisms influence species richness at the ecological and evolutionary scales. Mutualisms can promote or restrict species richness depending on their function, level of dependence, and specificity. Because the outcomes of mutualisms are highly dependent on environmental variables, we forecast that the effects of mutualisms on species richness are also strongly influenced by biotic, abiotic, and geographic variables across ecological and evolutionary timescales. Although our review depicts the complex and multifaceted impact of mutualisms on species richness, it also highlights a key gap: our understanding of the relative importance of the mechanisms through which mutualisms affect biodiversity. We suggest new methodological approaches to fill this gap.