Climate Change Will Resize and Reshape Plant–Hummingbird Networks in the Atlantic Forest

Abstract

Climate change is expected to reshape plant–hummingbird interaction networks in the Atlantic Forest by altering species co‑occurrence and network structure. Using ecological niche modeling, we projected future distributions of plants and hummingbirds and built present and future interaction networks to compare changes in species richness, connectivity, niche overlap, and robustness. Our results show that future networks will be smaller, with fewer links and shared partners, higher niche overlap, and reduced robustness. Although simulated extinctions increased apparent robustness, future assemblages were less resilient overall, with plants showing greater vulnerability to secondary extinctions triggered by hummingbird losses. These projected shifts point to the formation of novel communities and weakened network stability under climate change, highlighting potential cascading impacts on ecosystem function. This study provides key insights into how mutualistic networks may respond to future climate scenarios in the Atlantic Forest and beyond.

Citation

Restrepo‐González, A., Zanata, T. B., Brum, F. T., Buzato, S., Graham, C. H., Iamara‐Nogueira, J., & Varassin, I. G. (2026). Climate Change Will Resize and Reshape Plant–Hummingbird Networks in the Atlantic Forest. Diversity and Distributions, 32(1), e70134.