July 09, 2024 | BMC Ecology and Evolution |
The research team from German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Technische Universität Dresden, Friedrich Schiller University Jena in Germany, and the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA, CSIC-UIB) in Spain, explored how temperature variations influence fruit traits that mediate animal-plant interactions in wild species. Recognizing the impact of global warming on fruit development, the study aimed to understand the potential effects of rising temperatures on seed dispersal networks and, consequently, on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. The research focused on five plant species from eastern Madagascar, utilizing an elevation-for-temperature approach to assess changes in fruit traits across a temperature gradient of 1.5–2.6°C, in line with IPCC projections.
The findings revealed that temperature had no significant effect on most of the fruit traits evaluated. However, some species exhibited changes in fruit chemical profiles, indicating that the impact of temperature varies across species. This variability suggests that while warming within this temperature range may not cause widespread alterations in dispersal networks, it could lead to mismatches in specific animal-plant interactions, potentially affecting the dynamics of seed dispersal and associated ecological processes.