Evaluating the taxa that provide shared pollination services across multiple crops and regions

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Entomology
• Agricultural Science

Background:

• Pollinator species often interact with multiple crops across diverse regions, but their pollination service provision at local and regional scales remains understudied.
• Understanding these complex interactions is crucial for sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate floral visitor communities, their pollination effectiveness, and responses to landscape composition across avocado, mango, and macadamia crops.
• To identify shared pollinator taxa across different crops, regions, and years to inform management strategies.

Main Methods:

• Conducted extensive surveys of floral visitors (n=13,200) and pollination effectiveness (n=1,718 visits) across three crop types.
• Analyzed pollinator visitation networks and node specialization (d') in relation to landscape composition over multiple years and regions.
• Utilized pollen deposition data to assess network specialization.

Main Results:

• Eight wild visitor groups were shared across all three studied crops.
• The pollination network was dominated by three key pollinators: *Apis mellifera*, *Tetragonula* spp., and *Stomorhina discolor*.
• While visitation networks were generalized, pollen deposition data revealed increased specialization. Many orchard sites exhibited significant specialization beyond null model predictions.

Conclusions:

• Identifying shared pollinator taxa across multiple crops, regions, and years is essential for developing targeted pollinator management strategies.
• Site-specific factors significantly influence pollinator specialization within horticultural systems.
• This research provides a foundation for optimizing crop pollination services through informed pollinator management.