Differential impacts of land‐use change on multiple components of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) pollination success

Abstract

AbstractLand‐use change is one the greatest threats to biodiversity and is projected to increase in magnitude in the coming years, stressing the importance of better understanding how land‐use change may affect vital ecosystem services, such as pollination. Past studies on the impact of land‐use change have largely focused on only one aspect of the pollination process (e.g., pollinator composition, pollinator visitation, and pollen transfer), potentially misrepresenting the full complexity of land‐use effects on pollination services. Evaluating the impacts across multiple components of the pollination process can also help pinpoint the underlying mechanisms driving land‐use change effects. This study evaluates how land‐use change affects multiple aspects of the pollination process in common milkweed populations, including pollinator community composition, pollinator visitation rate, pollen removal, and pollen deposition. Overall, land‐use change altered floral visitor composition, with small bees having a larger presence in developed areas. Insect visitation rate and pollen removal were also higher in more developed areas, perhaps suggesting a positive impact of land‐use change. However, pollen deposition did not differ between developed and undeveloped sites. Our findings highlight the complexity evaluating land‐use change effects on pollination, as these likely depend on the specific aspect of pollination evaluated and on the of the intensity of disturbance. Our study stresses the importance of evaluating multiple components of the pollination process in order to fully understand overall effects and mechanisms underlying land‐use change effects on this vital ecosystem service.