Mutualistic interactions among plants and animals have played a paramount role in shaping biodiversity. Yet the majority of studies on mutualistic interactions have involved only a few species, as opposed to broader mutual connections between communities of organisms. Mutualistic Networks is the first book to comprehensively explore this burgeoning field. Integrating different approaches, from the statistical description of network structures to the development of new analytical frameworks, Jordi Bascompte and Pedro Jordano describe the architecture of these mutualistic networks and show their importance for the robustness of biodiversity and the coevolutionary process. Making a case for why we should care about mutualisms and their complex networks, this book offers a new perspective on the study and synthesis of this growing area for ecologists and evolutionary biologists. It will serve as the standard reference for all future work on mutualistic interactions in biological communities.

Table of Contents:
Preface xi Chapter 1. Biodiversity and Plant-Animal Coevolution 1 Historical Overview 1 A Bit of Natural History 6 Coevolution in Multispecific Mutualisms 12 Summary 14 Chapter 2. An Introduction to Complex Networks 15 A Network Approach to Complex Systems 17 Measures of Network Structure 21 Models of Network Buildup 31 Ecological Networks 32 Summary 41 Chapter 3. The Structure of Plant-Animal Mutualistic Networks 42 Degree Distribution 42 Nestedness 44 Small World 48 Modularity 50 Weighted Networks 54 Comparisons with other Ecological Networks 60 Summary 62 Chapter 4. Ecological and Evolutionary Mechanisms 64 Single Ecological Traits 67 Phylogenetic Effects 77 Summary 85 Chapter 5. Mutualistic Networks in Time and Space 87 Network Dynamics 88 Spatial Mosaics 98 Sampling and Robustness 102 Summary 106 Chapter 6. Consequences of Network Structure 107 Coextinction Cascades 108 Dynamic Stability 113 Global Change and Mutualistic Networks 120 Coevolutionary Implications 126 Implications for Nonbiological Systems 132 Summary 134 Chapter 7. Epilogue 136 Appendix A. Indices Used in Mutualistic Network Analyses 139 Appendix B. Fitting Degree Distributions 143 Appendix C. Measures of Nestedness 147 Appendix D. Measures of Modularity 150 Appendix E. Phylogenetic Methods and Network Analysis 154 Appendix F. Null Models for Assessing Network Structure 160 Appendix G. An Analytical Theory of Mutualistic Networks 167 Fixed Points and Local Stability 167 Effects of Network Structure on Competition and Biodiversity 169 Appendix H. Software for the Analysis of Complex Networks 175 Bibliography 179 Index 201