Productivity gradients, ecosystem size, and disturbance are drivers of ecosystem function, like species interactions. On Palmyra Atoll in the central Pacific, islets represent a variety of ecosystem sizes with varying levels of productivity as a result of species invasion. Past work has shown that food chain length is driven by these factors, especially in terrestrial systems. Growing work in network science has emphasized the importance of understanding the robustness of mutualisms in the face of ecosystem changes. This work explores plant-pollinator interactions with pollination network assemblage across a size, productivity, and disturbance gradient to better predict the resilience of these communities and ecosystem services.
Results/Conclusions
Our preliminary results indicate that productivity, more than islet size, plays an important role in pollination network structure and robustness. Across the atoll, we found interactions and network modularity are highly driven by the magnitude of community disturbance as a result of species invasion. This work highlights the impact of ecosystem function drivers on species interactions and emphasizes the importance of understanding these processes to predict ecosystem resilience.