Pollinator individual-based networks reveal the specialized plant–pollinator mutualism in two biodiverse communities

Abstract

Generalization of pollination systems is widely accepted by ecologists in the studies of plant–pollinator interaction networks at the community level, but the degree of generalization of pollination networks remains largely unknown at the individual pollinator level. Using potential legitimate pollinators that were constantly visiting flowers in two alpine meadow communities, we analyzed the differences in the pollination network structure between the pollinator individual level and species level. The results showed that compared to the pollinator species-based networks, the linkage density, interaction diversity, interaction evenness, the average plant linkage level, and interaction diversity increased, but connectance, degree of nestedness, the average of pollinator linkage level, and interaction diversity decreased in the pollinator individual-based networks, indicating that pollinator individuals had a narrower food niche than their counterpart species. Pollination networks at the pollinator individual level were more specialized at the network level (H′2) and the plant species node level (d′) than at the pollinator species-level networks, reducing the chance of underestimating levels of specialization in pollination systems. The results emphasize that research into pollinator individual-based pollination networks will improve our understanding of the pollination networks at the pollinator species level and the coevolution of flowering plants and pollinators.