Redes ecológicas de aves nectarívoras y frugívoras en la Reserva Natural La Franja, Vianí, Cundinamarca

Abstract

Neotropical Andean ecosystems, known for their extraordinary diversity, harbor complex networks of biotic interactions that are fundamental to their stability and functioning. However, deforestation, fragmentation and degradation of their natural habitats endanger the ecological networks that take place there. Therefore, research on mutualistic networks, where little information is available for Colombia, is essential to understand the complex interactions between species and their role in conservation. This study evaluated the structure and dynamics of potential pollinating and seed-dispersing birds in a premontane rainforest in La Franja Natural Reserve, Vianí, Cundinamarca. The nets were analyzed during 10 consecutive months over 25 days distributed similarly in the climatic stations of the area, for a total of 275 total hours sampled. Data analysis was carried out using the Bipartite program in RStudio. Forty bird species and 27 plants were found to interact 1064 times. Networks had no significant nesting, were poorly connected and showed consistent modularity and specialization. Species most central to the network varied significantly across seasons and some bird genera showed evolutionarily conserved interaction patterns. Networks are resilient to random species loss, but decay rapidly when the most connected species, particularly plants, are eliminated. Some native and introduced plants were very important for the network because of their higher local abundance, and it is considered that their greater presence is due to the interests of the communities in the area, which is why the concept of human-historical pulse is proposed. The observed network patterns do not fit the paradigm of the presence of nesting in mutualistic networks, suggesting that the mechanisms by which ecological networks are formed in Andean neotropical ecosystems are different from those observed in other contexts with less functional, taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity.