Plant-pollinator network structure shifts along a spatiotemporal gradient at Deep Canyon, CA

Plant-pollinator networks have been found to shift in composition and structure along environmental gradients. Changes in interacting partners can have a significant impact on networks and reproduction from the plant perspective. However, the relationship between network dynamics and pollinator reproductive outcomes has been much more challenging to ascertain. Using California carpenter bees (Xylocopa californica) as a focal species, we are determining how diet composition and diet breadth impact larval nutrition at Deep Canyon, CA. Our pilot season in spring 2020 indicated that network composition and structure varies significantly over time and throughout the elevational gradient. In 2021, we will conduct a full a full field season to determine plant-pollinator networks and collect X. californica nests. Using the networks and pollen provisions from the 2021 field season, we will determine what role floral resources and network structure play in the reproductive outcomes of a robust and abundant native Californian pollinator.