Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Pollinator Interaction Webs
Enhances the Persistence of
Plant Communities
Colin Fontaine, Isabelle Dajoz, Jacques Meriguet and
Michel Loreau
abstRact
Pollination is exclusively or mainly animal mediated for 70% to 90% of
angiosperm species. Thus, pollinators provide an essential ecosystem service
to humankind. However, the impact of human-induced biodiversity loss on
the functioning of plant-pollinator interactions has not been tested experi-
mentally. To understand how plant communities respond to diversity changes
in their pollinating fauna, we manipulated the functional diversity of both
plants and pollinators under natural conditions. Increasing the functional di-
versity of both plants and pollinators led to the recruitment of more diverse
