Mutualist networks in the Galapagos Islands. Direct and indirect impacts of invasive species on endangered plants (REDGAL)

Manuel Nogales, Susana Chamorro, Benigno Padrón, Anna Traveset Vilagines, Pablo Vargas, Jens M. Olesen, Alan Tye, Conley K. McMullen, Rachel Atkinson, Mark Gardener, Charlotte Causton, Lázaro Roque Albelo.

Although our knowledge of Galapagos Island biodiversity is by now fairly complete, there is still much to learn about its functioning, and about the “ecological architecture” of these insular systems. Two of the basic ecological processes modulating the function and organization of this biodiversity are pollination and seed dispersal.

Using tools devised for the analysis of complex networks, this project will pursue the following objectives: 1) characterize the structure of pollination and seed dispersal networks in two of the islands’ key habitats (arid and wet), and determine how the introduction of entomophilous and endozoocorous plants has influenced their structure; 2) identify the main ecological factors driving the patterns observed, and 3) conduct a more in-depth assessment of how the introduction of invasive species affects imperiled endemic species. The project offers the opportunity to apply modern conservation concepts regarding multiple plant-animal interactions in one of the world’s most singular and fragile insular settings.