Patterns of flower-visiting insects depend on flowering phenological shifts along an altitudinal gradient in subalpine moorland ecosystems

Alpine and subalpine moorland ecosystems contain unique plant communities, often with many endemic threatened species, some of which depend on insect pollination. Although alpine are vulnerable to climatic change, few studies have investigated flower-visiting insects in such examined the factors regulating plant-pollinator interactions along altitudinal gradients. Here, we explored how patterns flower visitors change according shifts flowering phenology northern Japan. We surveyed plants at five sites differing altitude early July (soon after snowmelt) mid-August (peak growing season). In July, found a higher visiting frequency by more variable orders including dipteran, hymenopteran, coleopteran, lepidopteran species association mass Geum pentapetalum Nephrophyllidium crista-galli. August, were not observed, dipteran dominated across due Narthecium asiaticum Drosera rotundifolia. Our study provides key baselines for detection endangered biotic extinction risks under ongoing climate change.