Interaction-site networks identify interactions for conserving key pollinators and plants in an agricultural mosaic landscape

Abstract

Pollinators utilize different land-uses via the plants they visit, however these connections vary within and among land-uses. Identifying which insects are carrying pollen and from where can elucidate key plant-pollinator interactions and identify the most important sites for maintaining community-level interactions in different land-use types. We developed a novel interaction-site bipartite network approach to identify which land-use types at the field- and landscape-scale best conserve plant-pollinator interactions. We identified distinct pollen-insect interactions that were highly specialised to both natural and modified land-uses. Many interactions involved flies, wasps and beetles; groups requiring greater research effort. Field-scale land-use best predicted interaction richness, uniqueness and strength. Management at this scale may provide the best outcomes for conserving or restoring plant-pollinator interactions in modified landscapes. This novel, intuitive approach could inform land-use planning, whereby priority is afforded to conservation areas that represent significant links between plant and pollinator communities within mosaic landscapes.