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.