Abstract
Biological invasion remains a major threat to biodiversity in general and a disruptor to mutualistic interactions in particular. While a number of empirical studies have directly explored the role of invasion in mutualistic pollination networks, a clear picture is yet to emerge and a theoretical model for comprehension still lacking. Here, using an eco‐evolutionary model of bipartite mutualistic networks with trait‐mediated interactions, we explore invader trait, propagule pressure, and network features of recipient community that contribute importantly to the success and impact of an invasion. High level of invasiveness is observed when invader trait differs from those of the community average, and level of interaction generalization equals to that of the community average. Moreover, multiple introductions of invaders with declining propagules enhance invasiveness. Surprisingly, the most successful invader is not always the one having the biggest impact on the recipient community. The network structure of recipient community, such as nestedness and modularity, is not a primary indicator of its invasibility; rather, the invasibility is best correlated with measurements of network stability such as robustness, resilience, and disruptiveness (a measure of evolutionary instability). Our model encompasses more general scenarios than previously studied in predicting invasion success and impact in mutualistic networks, and our results highlight the need for coupling eco‐evolutionary processes to resolve the invasion dilemma.
Highlights
Rapid global changes induced by anthropogenic disturbance constitute a major threat to networks of ecological interactions (Tylianakis et al 2008; Burkle and Alarcon 2011), of which biological invasion represents one important component (Morales and Traveset 2009; McGeoch et al 2010)
Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd
The resultant network from such trait evolution will be considered as a resident native mutualistic network into which we introduce an alien species
Summary
Rapid global changes induced by anthropogenic disturbance constitute a major threat to networks of ecological interactions (Tylianakis et al 2008; Burkle and Alarcon 2011), of which biological invasion represents one important component (Morales and Traveset 2009; McGeoch et al 2010). For efficient prevention and control, the challenge is to foresee the invasiveness and impact of potential invaders in given ecosystems. This is a challenge of complexity as no universal rules, except for the amount of propagules introduced (known as the propagule pressure; Williamson, 1999; Jeschke and Strayer 2006; Simberloff 2009), govern the process and success of invasion which are nearly exclusively contingent on the taxa and context (Williamson and Fitter 1996).
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