A tale of two generalists: The role of floral resources in pollinator communities

In many terrestrial habitats, ecosystem function and biodiversity depend on robust pollinator communities. These communities are special food webs where plants and their pollinators play specific roles. Broadly, these webs are mutualistic networks made up of generalist and specialist plant species. The degree to which plants are generalized or specialized and how they nutritionally connect the mutualistic network depends on the evolutionary history of these communities. To investigate the role of native and non-native generalist plants, two genera in the mint family (Lamiaceae) are compared: North American native Pycnanthemum and non-native Mentha. We hypothesize that Pycnanthemum species will attract a higher abundance and diversity of pollinators than Mentha species and cultivars. 
To test this, four species of Pycnanthemum, four species of Mentha, and three Mentha cultivars were selected and observed in different landscape contexts. Abundance and diversity of pollinators on flowers was determined and compared to the background pollinator community to determine patterns of floral resource utilization. 
The findings of this study will contribute to the understanding of the local pollinator community and the role of generalist plant species in plant-pollinator networks. It will also be the foundation for further studies to understand the interaction of floral rewards and attractants to distinguish native and non-native plants.