Floral resource hotspots and coldspots: spatiotemporal dynamics and impacts on plant-pollinator interaction networks

• Grant number: 25/17470-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Caio Simões Ballarin
• Grantee: Marcelo Luiz da Silva Camillo
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Plant-pollinator interactions are mediated by floral resources such as nectar and pollen, whose supply and demand vary across space and time, influencing the dynamics of these mutualistic relationships. The diversity and abundance of these resources, as well as their nutritional value, shape pollinator foraging decisions and, consequently, the structure of ecological interactions and plant reproductive success. However, few studies have explicitly evaluated, in a spatiotemporal framework, how the quantity and quality of floral resources influence interaction network structure and dynamics in highly diverse ecosystems such as the Cerrado. This research project aims to integrate qualitative and quantitative data on nectar and/or pollen with functional floral traits to understand how resource availability shapes plant-bee interactions and indirect interactions among co-flowering plant species. The study is based on a comprehensive dataset collected through weekly sampling over two years in 1,200 subplots (i.e., grids) of 1 m², comprising over 30,000 legitimate and illegitimate visits involving 105 plant species and 52 bee morphotypes. The project objectives are to: (1) characterize the spatiotemporal fluctuation of floral resources; (2) assess the relationship between resource supply and the structural role of plants within interaction networks; and (3) investigate how areas of high and low resource availability (hotspots and coldspots) affect direct and indirect interactions mediated by pollinators. By incorporating bioenergetic approaches into the study of complex ecological networks, this research will provide a mechanistic perspective on the determinants of mutualistic network structure and assembly. The application of this novel framework to the Cerrado constitutes a significant contribution to interaction ecology, advancing both conceptual and methodological understanding of mutualisms in megadiverse environments. (AU)