Pollinator Diversity: Distribution, Ecological Function, and Conservation

Abstract

By facilitating plant reproduction, pollinators perform a crucial ecological function that supports the majority of the world's plant diversity, and associated organisms, and a significant fraction of global agriculture. Thus pollinators are simultaneously vital to supporting both natural ecosystems and human food security, which is a unique position for such a diverse group of organisms.The past couple of decades have seen unprecedented interest in pollinators and pollination ecology, stimulated in part by concerns over the decline of pollinator abundance and diversity in some parts of the world. This review synthesizes what is currently understood about the taxonomic diversity of organisms that are known to act as pollinators; their distribution in both deep time and present space; the importance of their diversity for ecological function (including agro-ecology); changes to diversity and abundance over more recent timescales, including introduction of non-native species, and a discussion of arguments for conserving their diversity.

Sex differences in pollinator behavior: Patterns across species and consequences for the mutualism

“…Intraspecific variation in partners should have particularly large consequences for many angiosperms, for which floral visitors play a crucial role in reproductive success via pollen transfer (Klein et al, 2007;Ollerton, 2017;Takayama & Isogai, 2005). In plant-pollinator systems, differences in plant reproductive success can be a direct outcome of relatively small differences in the behaviour of nectar and pollen foragers.…”

The need for coordinated transdisciplinary research infrastructures for pollinator conservation and crop pollination resilience

“…However, many other animals provide pollination services, including other groups of insects like Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera and non-bee Hymenoptera (Rader et al 2016). In addition, birds, bats, rodents and even lizards are pollinators of many plants, especially at lower latitudes , Ollerton 2017, Ratto et al 2018. This high diversity of species involved in pollination is the first barrier to studying the extent of pollinator declines, especially given that even the most basic natural history and taxonomy of most pollinators is often unknown.…”

Pollination biology of melittophilous legume tree species in the Atlantic Forest in Southeast Brazil

“…Plant-pollinator interactions are important for the maintenance of biodiversity and are one of the critical services for sustainable ecosystems (Bawa 1990;Ollerton 2017). However, studies point that landscape changes resulting from anthropogenic disturbance, as habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, are one of the primary threats to pollination services (Potts et al 2010;Thomann et al 2013).…”

“…Ward et al (2005) reported that some legume tree species exhibit high patterns of mixed mating systems, while others are predominant outcrossers with rates higher than 0.80. Furthermore, despite the fact that in Neotropical rainforests the majority of plant species are pollinated by bees (Bawa et al 1985a;Bawa 1990;Ollerton 2017), detailed studies on pollination by bees of canopy trees in the Atlantic Forest in Southeast Brazil are virtually nonexistent. The legume family is one of the most important and highly diverse families in the Atlantic Forest (Oliveira-Filho & Fontes 2000) and since most legume species are bee-pollinated (Arroyo 1981), they represent an important food source for these insects that are the largest pollination taxon in tropical communities (Ollerton 2017).…”