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| Interaction webs summarize the diverse interactions among species
in communities. The addition or loss of particular species and the
alteration of key interactions can lead to the disassembly of the
entire interaction web, although the nontrophic effects of species
loss on interactionwebs are poorly understood.We took advantage
of ongoing invasions by a suite of exotic species to examine their
impact in terms of the disassembly of an interaction web in
Patagonia, Argentina. We found that the reduction of one species
(a host of a keystone mistletoe species) resulted in diverse
indirect effects that led to the disassembly of an interaction
web through the loss of the mistletoe, two key seed-dispersers
(a marsupial and a bird), and a pollinator (hummingbird). Our
results demonstrate that the gains and losses of species are both
consequences and drivers of global change that can lead to underappreciated
cascading coextinctions through the disruption
of mutualisms. | |
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