
Jeferson Vizentin-BugoniFederal University of Pelotas | UFPEL
Jeferson Vizentin-Bugoni
Professor of Ecology
Community ecologist broadly interested in species interactions. Adjunct Professor at UFPel.
About
98
Publications
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Introduction
I am a community ecologist broadly interested in species interactions. Most of my work has been on the applications of network theory and null models to investigate plant-animal interactions, especially the ones involving plants and their pollinators and seed dispersers.
I have mostly investigated plant-hummingbird networks but my current research includes seed dispersal networks in novel ecosystems of Hawaii, trying to understand their structure, dynamics and stability.
Additional affiliations
January 2021 - present
July 2020 - December 2021
June 2017 - June 2020
Education
November 2014 - October 2015
University of Copenhagen - CMEC
Field of study
- Macroecology
March 2013 - February 2017
March 2011 - February 2013
Publications
Publications (98)
Understanding the relative importance of multiple processes on structuring species interactions within communities is one of the major challenges in ecology. Here, we evaluated the relative importance of species abundance and forbidden links in structuring a hummingbird-plant interaction network from the Atlantic rainforest in Brazil. Our results s...
Most tropical plants rely on animals for pollination, thus engaging in complex interaction networks. Here, we present a global overview of pollination networks and point out research gaps and emerging differences between tropical and non-tropical areas. Our review highlights an uneven global distribution of studies biased towards non-tropical areas...
Invasive birds spread native seeds
When humans introduce exotic species to sensitive ecosystems, invasion and extinction of native species often follow. The resulting ecological communities can develop unusual interactions between the survivors and newcomers. Vizentin-Bugoni et al. analyzed the structure of seed dispersal networks in Hawai'i, where...
Species are entangled within communities by their interactions in such a manner that their local extinction may unchain coextinction cascades and impact community dynamics and stability. Despite increasing attention, simulation models to estimate the robustness of interaction networks largely neglect the important role of interaction rewiring, that...
Significance
Species invasions and introductions are reshaping ecosystems around the world. In such novel ecological scenarios, it remains unclear whether crucial ecosystem functions played by lost native species may be partially or fully replaced by introduced species. We show that introduced plants and seed dispersers may take over interaction ne...
Invasive species pose a critical threat to ecosystems, with far-reaching consequences. Invasive plants can directly interact with native pollinators, while wind-pollinated grasses indirectly alter plant-pollinator networks by reshaping the composition of plant and animal communities, diminishing ecosystem functioning. Here, we investigated the effe...
Resource partitioning is a critical mechanism underlying the coexistence of close relative species that feed on similar resources. Based on foraging data, we built a plant-seedeater interaction network for three sympatric species of Neotropical seedeaters-namely Tropeiro Seedeater Sporophila beltoni, Black-bellied Seedeater Sporophila melanogaster,...
Urbanization has reshaped the distribution of biodiversity on Earth, but we are only beginning to understand its effects on ecological communities. While urbanization may have homogenization effects strong enough to blur the large-scale patterns in interaction networks, urban community patterns may still be associated with climate gradients reflect...
Invasive fruit-eating animals (hereafter frugivores) can form novel mutualisms with fruiting plants and alter seed dispersal. Plant-frugivore interactions are often linked to frugivore preference for certain fruit traits, but for invasive frugivores, it is uncertain if novelty—whether or not a fruit is familiar—impacts foraging decisions. We experi...
Abstract. Carpornis cucullata (Aves: Cotingidae) is a little-known frugivorous passerine endemic to the Atlantic Forest, where it is restricted to pristine forests. We investigated its diet at Pontal da Barra, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, a locality in the extreme southern limit of the species distribution. Approximately 99% of C. cucullata’...
In this study, we report four novel instances of frugivory by woodpeckers, specifically the green-barred woodpecker (Colaptes melanochloros), campo flicker (Colaptes campestris) and white-spotted woodpecker (Veniliornis spilogaster). We also compile existing frugivory records from the literature and discuss the potential of these woodpeckers to act...
Conserving biodiversity requires an efficiently managed network of integrated protected areas (PAs). An extensive PA network safeguards the highly threatened Araucaria angustifolia forests and associated highland grasslands of Brazil and Argentina. However, the efficiency of this network in conserving biodiversity has been poorly explored. We used...
Ecological interactions are diverse, variable across space and time and not always well understood. The use of interaction network analysis has become a tool that promotes a deeper understanding on ecological and evolutionary processes. The interaction between insects and fungi is an interesting research model, helping to understand colonization dy...
Multiple non-exclusive neutral or niche-based processes influence species interactions and shape the structure of ecological networks. Although evolutionary processes may influence interactions via shared inherited traits, their relative importance in comparison to ecological processes remain poorly understood. Here we investigate the effects of ev...
Indirect interactions are pivotal in the evolution of interacting species and the assembly of populations and communities. Nevertheless, despite recently being investigated in plant–animal mutualism at the community level, indirect interactions have not been studied in resource-mediated mutualisms involving plant individuals that share different an...
Research Highlight: Leimberger, K.G., Hadley, A.S., & Betts, M.G. (2023). Plant–hummingbird pollination networks exhibit minimal rewiring after experimental removal of a locally abundant plant species. Journal of Animal Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365‐2656.13935. In this paper, Leimberger, Hadley and Betts (2023) explore the effects of removi...
Many animal species exist in fission-fusion societies, where the size and composition of conspecific groups change spatially and temporally. To help investigate such phenomena, social network analysis (SNA) has emerged as a powerful conceptual and analytical framework for assessing patterns of interconnectedness and quantifying group-level interact...
Understanding the mechanisms that shape the architecture, diversity and adaptations of genomes and their ecological and genetic interfaces is of utmost importance to understand biological evolution. Transposable elements (TEs) play an important role in genome evolution, due to their ability to transpose within and between genomes, providing sites o...
Invasive species are one of the most important threats to ecosystems. While invasive plants can interact directly with native pollinators, wind-pollinated grasses can also indirectly affect plant-pollinator networks by changing plant and animal community composition and, ultimately, decreasing ecosystem functioning. Here, we investigated the effect...
Multiple non-exclusive processes influence species interactions and shape ecological networks. Although evolutionary history may influence interactions via shared inherited traits, its relative importance in comparison neutral and niche-based processes remain poorly understood. Here we investigate the effects of evolutionary history on interaction...
As human-caused extinctions and invasions accumulate across the planet, understanding the processes governing ecological functions mediated by species interactions, and anticipating the effect of species loss on such functions become increasingly urgent. In seed dispersal networks, the mechanisms that influence interaction frequencies may also infl...
In altered communities, novel species’ interactions may critically impact ecosystem functioning. One key ecosystem process, seed dispersal, often requires mutualistic interactions between frugivores and fruiting plants, and functional traits, such as seed width, may affect interaction outcomes. Forests of the Hawaiian Islands have experienced high...
Analysis of ecological networks is a useful approach to investigate species interactions. However, sampling method may influence the observed patterns especially in highly diverse communities. Here we evaluated how sampling decisions influence the characterization of a seed dispersal network between frugivorous birds and plants in a Neotropical com...
While network analyses have stimulated a renewed interest in understanding patterns and drivers of specialization within communities, few studies have explored specialization within populations. Thus, in plant populations, causes and consequences of individual variation in their interactions with mutualistic animals remain poorly understood. Studyi...
In altered communities, novel species’ interactions may critically impact ecosystem functioning. One key ecosystem process, seed dispersal, often requires mutualistic interactions between frugivores and fruiting plants, and functional traits, such as seed width, may affect interaction outcomes. Forests of the Hawaiian Islands have experienced high...
Flowering plant species and their nectar-feeding vertebrates exemplify some of the most remarkable biotic interactions in the Neotropics. In the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, several species of birds (especially hummingbirds), bats, and non-flying mammals, as well as one lizard feed on nectar, often act as pollinators and contribute to seed output of...
Flowering plant species and their nectar‐feeding vertebrates exemplify some of the most remarkable biotic interactions in the Neotropics. In the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, several species of birds (especially hummingbirds), bats, and non‐flying mammals, as well as one lizard feed on nectar, often act as pollinators and contribute to seed output of...
Fire is a frequent disturbance in most grasslands around the world, being key for the structure and dynamics of the biodiversity in such ecosystems. While grassland species may be resilient, little is known on how plant–pollinator networks reassemble after fire. Here, we investigate the structure and dynamics of plant–pollinator networks and the va...
Avian species across diverse lineages collect and incorporate mammalian hair into their nests (Tóth 2008). This widespread behavior can be adaptive, as hair, fur or wool insulates nests and so enhances nestling survival and recruitment in colder climates (Hilton et al. 2004, Mainwaring et al. 2014, Järvinen and Brommer 2020, Deeming et al. 2020; re...
Exotic species can threaten biodiversity by disrupting ecological interactions among native species. Highly-attractive exotic species can exert a ‘magnet effect’ by attracting native pollinators, which may have either competitive or facilitative effects on co-flowering native plants. However, those effects may be context-dependent. We used a mistle...
For alien invasive plant species dependent on frugivores for seed dispersal, traits that influence consumption can be important determinants of invasion and spread. However, trait comparisons between native and invasive species have documented mixed results. In Hawai‘i, one of the most invaded systems in the world, nearly all frugivory, and thus se...
Functional traits can determine pairwise species interactions, such as those between plants and pollinators. However, the effects of biogeography and evolutionary history on trait‐matching and trait‐mediated resource specialization remain poorly understood.
We compiled a database of 93 mutualistic hummingbird–plant networks (including 181 hummingbi...
Indirect interactions are central to ecological and evolutionary dynamics in pollination communities, yet we have little understanding about the processes determining patterns of indirect interactions, such as those between pollinators through shared flowering plants. Instead, research has concentrated on the processes responsible for direct intera...
Patterns of specialization and the structure of interactions between bats and ectoparasitic flies have been studied mostly on non-urban environments and at local scales. Thus, how anthropogenic disturbances influence species interactions and network structure in this system remain poorly understood. Here we investigated patterns of interaction betw...
1. Species interact with one another in communities forming complex interaction networks which are shaped by multiple non‐exclusive processes. Although plant–hawkmoth interactions have been studied for over a century, how processes underlying species' specialisation influence community‐level patterns of niche partitioning and contribute to the emer...
In semi-arid environments, the marked contrast in temperature and precipitation over the year strongly shapes ecological communities. The composition of species and their ecological interactions within a community may vary greatly over time. Although intra-annual variations are often studied, empirical information on how plant–bird relationships ar...
Indirect interactions are central to ecological and evolutionary dynamics in pollination communities, yet we have little understanding about the processes determining patterns of indirect interactions, such as those between pollinators through shared flowering plants. Instead, research has concentrated on the processes responsible for direct intera...
While functional traits can facilitate or constrain interactions between pair of species in ecological communities, relative abundances regulate the probabilities of encounter among individuals. However, the relative importance of traits and relative abundances for the role species play in seed dispersion networks remains poorly explored. Here, we...
Interactions between species are influenced by different ecological mechanisms, such as morphological matching, phenological overlap and species abundances. How these mechanisms explain interaction frequencies across environmental gradients remains poorly understood. Consequently, we also know little about the mechanisms that drive the geographical...
The great fruit-eating bat (Artibeus lituratus) is a large-sized species that forages primarily on fruits. This species is widespread throughout the Neotropics, where it is common in natural areas and also occupies forest patches and cities. In this study, we review the composition of Artibeus lituratus diet in Brazil as well as the size of fruits...
Understanding patterns of ecological specialization, the processes underlying niche partitioning and how they translate into the structure of interaction networks is a persistent challenge in ecology. Advances on this are limited by the prevalent focus on single spatial scales, lack of tests of the mechanisms underlying specialization, and scarce i...
Understanding how disturbances influence interaction networks is a central but still poorly explored issue in ecology and management. The goal of this study was to test how the structure of plant-pollinator networks and the structuring processes are influenced by grazing in a subtropical grassland community on the southern hemisphere. Twelve sampli...
Abundant pollinators are often more generalised than rare pollinators. This could be because abundant species have more chance encounters with potential interaction partners. On the other hand, generalised species could have a competitive advantage over specialists, leading to higher abundance. Determining the direction of the abundance–generalisat...
Birds, like most animals, are expected to adjust their foraging activity in response to biotic and abiotic variations to optimize energy intake and reduce costs associated with finding and ingesting food. This may lead to temporal variation in the exploitation of food resources, which has been investigated for birds of different feeding guilds but...
Despite great interest in metrics to quantify the structure of ecological networks, the effects of sampling and scale remain poorly understood. In fact, one of the most challenging issues in ecology is how to define suitable scales (i.e., temporal or spatial) to accurately describe and understand ecological systems.
Here, we sampled a series of ant...
Habitat loss and fragmentation typically lead to species loss and, consequently, changes in the structure and stability of interaction networks. These changes may lead to important limitation of crucial ecosystems services such as seed dispersal. Here, we compared the spatial structure and species composition of bat-fruit interaction networks in co...
Most angiosperms rely on animals for pollination, and insects, especially bees, are the most frequent pollinators. Many native Neotropical plants are frequently visited by the invasive honeybee (Apis mellifera), but its role in the pollination of these plants has been little investigated. We assessed the contribution of various floral visitors, inc...
Aim: We examined the effects of space, climate, phylogeny and species traits on
module composition in a cross-biomes plant–hummingbird network.
Location: Brazil, except Amazonian region.
Methods: We compiled 31 local binary plant–hummingbird networks, combining
them into one cross-biomes metanetwork. We conducted a modularity analysis and
tested th...
Complex networks approach has promoted fast advances in the understanding of species interactions in communities, including the description of patterns and processes structuring interactive assemblages. Despite of the accumulation of studies on plant-pollinator networks, such investigations on tropical regions are still scarce, especially on the de...
Abundant pollinators are often more generalised than rare pollinators. This could be because abundance drives generalisation: neutral effects suggest that more abundant species will be more generalised simply because they have more chance encounters with potential interaction partners. On the other hand, generalisation could drive abundance, as gen...
Pollinators may influence plant community assembly through biotic filtering and/or plant–plant competition and facilitation. The relative importance of each process, however, vary according to the scale and how strongly plants share their pollinators, and possibly in relation to the pollinator groups considered. We here investigated the assembly of...
Latitudinal patterns of biodiversity have been studied for centuries, but it is only during the last decades that species interaction networks have been used to examine the proposed latitudinal gradient of biotic specialization. These studies have given idiosyncratic results, which may either be because of genuine biological differences between sys...
Multiple factors drive species interactions in ecological networks, such as morphological barriers, spatio–temporal distribution, abundances and evolutionary histories of species. Novel methods are making it possible to evaluate the relative importance of each of these drivers. However, the lack of appropriate methods has prevented evaluating the e...
Managing ecological disturbances at different spatial scales is paramount for maintaining or restoring faunal diversity in grasslands. Whereas some studies have reported varying net effects of livestock disturbance intensity upon species richness in grasslands, most analysis reveal strong effects on beta-diversity. However, beta-diversity can be fu...