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Network Biology, 2019, 9(2): 18-27
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Article

Evaluating the network structure of different Neotropical plant-plant interactions

Walter Santos de Araujo
Department of General Biology, Center of Biological Sciences and Health, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, 39401-089, Montes Claros, Brazil

Received 4 February 2019;Accepted 9 March 2019;Published 1 June 2019
IAEES

Abstract
Plant species can be used as hosts by other plant species, both in antagonistic interactions (e.g., parasitism), and in commensal interactions (e.g., epiphytism). In this study, plant-plant interaction networks were constructed using the literature available from Brazil in order to contrast networks composed by parasitic versus epiphytic plants. Eight plant-plant networks were analysed: five plant-parasite networks and three plant-epiphyte networks. The network structure was characterised using the following network metrics: network size, number of interactions, connectance, modularity and nestedness. In total, plant-plant networks comprised 110 host-plant species and 60 hosted-plant species (parasites or epiphytes) with 269 distinct interactions. Network size, number of interactions, modularity and nestedness did not differ between different types of networks. On the other hand, network connectance in plant-plant networks was significantly different between habitat types (conserved versus anthropised habitats). The present study represents a pioneer systematic investigation showing that structure of plant-plant networks is influenced by habitat conservation status, regardless of the type and the intimacy of interactions between species.

Keywords commensalism;ecological networks;epiphytes;mistletoes;parasitism.

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