Mutualistic interactions between species are ubiquitous in nature and essential for ecosystem functioning. Often dozens or even hundreds of species with different degrees of specialisation form complex networks. How this complexity evolves is a fundamental question in ecology. Here, we present a new game theoretical approach to model complex coevolutionary processes and apply it to pollination networks. A theoretical analysis reveals multiple evolutionary stable network structures that depend on the availability of pollination service. In particular, we find efficient communities, in which a high percentage of pollen are transported conspecifically, to evolve only when plant and pollinator abundances are well balanced. Both pollinator shortage and oversupply select for more inefficient network structures. The results suggest that availability of pollination services is a key factor structuring pollination networks and may offer a new explanation for geographical differences in pollination communities that have long been recognised by ecologists.

中文翻译：

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植物授粉网络的进化稳定性：有效的群落和授粉困境。

物种之间的相互影响在自然界无处不在，对于生态系统功能至关重要。具有不同专业化程度的数十个甚至数百个物种通常形成复杂的网络。这种复杂性如何演变是生态学中的一个基本问题。在这里，我们提出了一种新的博弈论方法来对复杂的协同进化过程进行建模，并将其应用于授粉网络。理论分析表明，多种进化稳定的网络结构取决于授粉服务的可用性。特别是，我们发现了有效的群落，其中高比例的花粉被特定地运输，只有在植物和传粉媒介的丰度充分平衡的情况下才能进化。传粉者短缺和供过于求都会选择效率更低的网络结构。