Wild Floral Visitors Are More Important Than Honeybees as Pollinators of Avocado Crops

Wild insects provide pollination services in agroecosystems. Avocado is an economically important crop grown the Chilean Mediterranean climate region and exported worldwide. managed using honeybee hives, while role of wild as pollinators remains poorly known. We quantified relative contributions floral visitors honeybees to fruit set avocados two contrasting seasons (2015 2016) Central Chile. Observations were made 60 trees nearby (~300 m) remnant patches native sclerophyll vegetation. found that accounted for 48.6% 51.4% total visitation, respectively, with a 68% taxonomic similarity between seasons. The presence significantly modulated visitor composition modified plant-pollination network parameters, which resulted biotic homogenization interaction network, through increase shared tree–floral interactions, detriment exclusive interactions. Finally, more effective than pollinating avocado their contribution was greatest during dry year. Thus, alone cannot be relied upon deliver maximum pollination. highlight ecological intensification practices encourage insect visits avoid vegetation replacement orchards. Therefore, we emphasize future research should address agricultural promote evaluate pollinator habitat landscapes.