Rising temperature drives tipping points in mutualistic networks

Abstract

The effect of climate warming on species' physiological parameters, including growth rate, mortality rate and handling time, is well established from empirical data. However, with an alarming rise in global temperature more than ever, predicting the interactive influence of these changes on mutualistic communities remains uncertain. Using 139 real plant-pollinator networks sampled across the globe and a modelling approach, we study the impact of species' individual thermal responses on mutualistic communities. We show that at low mutualistic strength plant-pollinator networks are at potential risk of rapid transitions at higher temperatures. Evidently, generalist species play a critical role in guiding tipping points in mutualistic networks. Further, we derive stability criteria for the networks in a range of temperatures using a two-dimensional reduced model. We identify network structures that can ascertain the delay of a community collapse. Until the end of this century, on account of increasing climate warming many real mutualistic networks are likely to be under the threat of sudden collapse, and we frame strategies to mitigate this. Together, our results indicate that knowing individual species' thermal responses and network structure can improve predictions for communities facing rapid transitions.