THE INTERDEPENDENCE OF PLANT AND ANIMAL SYSTEMS: A COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH STUDY ON ECOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS, CO-EVOLUTION, AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

Abstract

The interdependence of plant and animal systems plays a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and stability. This study investigates biodiversity patterns, ecological interactions, co-evolutionary dynamics, and network resilience across four representative ecosystems: forests, grasslands, semi-urban habitats, and agricultural landscapes. Using a stratified random sampling design, we recorded plant and animal species richness, interaction frequencies, and trait correlations, followed by analyses using biodiversity indices, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Generalized Linear Models (GLMs), and ecological network metrics. Results revealed significant variation in species richness and evenness, with forests exhibiting the highest diversity and complex interaction networks, grasslands maintaining moderate richness and high evenness, semi-urban areas acting as transitional ecosystems, and agricultural landscapes showing the lowest biodiversity due to monoculture practices and habitat simplification. Mutualistic interactions, including pollination and seed dispersal, were strongest in forests and grasslands, while semi-urban and agricultural habitats displayed fragmented and simplified interaction webs dominated by generalist species. Co-evolutionary analyses revealed strong adaptive correlations between floral traits, pollinator morphologies, fruit sizes, and frugivore adaptations, particularly in forest systems. Ecological network analyses demonstrated that interaction diversity and functional redundancy enhance ecosystem resilience, with forests sustaining robust networks and agricultural systems remaining vulnerable to disturbance. These findings highlight the need for integrated biodiversity conservation strategies that focus on maintaining functional interdependencies, enhancing habitat connectivity, and protecting key ecological processes to ensure long-term ecosystem stability and sustainability under growing climate change and land-use pressures