Plant richness and blooming cover affect abundance of flower visitors and network structure in Colombian orchards

Pollination is essential to fruit production. How plant diversity and blooming events in and around orchards affect the pollinator community and the plant-flower-visitor network in neotropical systems remains largely unknown. We surveyed the flower visitors in deciduous fruit trees and alternative blooming resources (other crops, hedgerows and weeds) in Colombia across 6 orchards over 12 months. We evaluated whether plant species richness and blooming cover influenced abundance and richness of flower visitors, as well as network-level connectance and specialization. We also assessed the role of alternative blooming resources for the flower visitors of deciduous fruit trees. Overall, we found 66 taxa of flower visitors, 35 of which visited deciduous fruit trees. There was a greater abundance of flower visitors when there was higher richness of weedy species and greater blooming cover of deciduous fruit trees. Networks were less connected when there was lower crop and weedy species richness. Finally, flower visitor abundance and specialization increased when there were multiple hedgerow species in bloom with a high blooming cover. We highlight the importance of maintaining alternative blooming resources in and around the orchards to support deciduous fruit tree pollinators and diversity in the plant flower-visitor network.

Automated summary

Maintaining diverse blooming resources in and around orchards is crucial to support pollinators and enhance diversity in the plant-flower-visitor network. Higher richness of weedy species and greater blooming cover of deciduous fruit trees lead to a greater abundance of flower visitors. Networks are less connected when there is lower richness of crop and weedy species.