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.

Preface xiChapter 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