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Vertical stratification of plant-animal interactions and their impact on pollination and seed dispersal within a single Neotropical plant species

This study focuses on a neotropical liana species, Marcgravia longifolia, that produces flowers and fruits across all strata in the forest, and interacts with a large number of different nectarivores and frugivores. We seek to study these plant-animal interactions in detail, with a specific focus on the vertical stratification of these interactions and the consequences on dispersal, and ultimately, gene flow.

In 2018 & 2019, the PhD candidate Sarina Thiel collected data on visitation rates, species assemblages, and nectar and fruit quality and quantity across the vertical gradient. Currently, we analyze data on interaction networks across the vertical gradient. In the lab, we currently genotype adult lianas and seedlings from fruit that we collected at different heights to determine vertical differences in pollination distances.

This project is supervised by Dr. Katrin Heer in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Eckhard Heymann (DPZ) and Prof. Dr. Marco Tschapka (University of Ulm), and funded by the German Research Council (DFG HE7345/5-1).