Phenological overlap between crop and pollinators - Dataset

Phenological overlap between crop flowering and pollinators is a crucial
trait for the pollination of more than 75% of the world’s crops. However,
crop management rarely considers the seasonal aspect of plant-pollinator
mutualism. Here, we explore the phenological overlap between crops and
pollinators and how it affects pollination and fruit production. We
measured the abundance and richness of native and non-native pollinators
visiting raspberry flowers at two different times during the flowering
season (i.e., early and late flowering periods) and examined their effects
on crop yield in 16 fields. The community of pollinators foraging on
raspberry flowers was more diverse and dominated by native pollinators
during the early flowering period when most native plants were in flower.
Later in the season, when native flower resources in the environment
declined, raspberry flowers were visited mainly by two non-native bees:
managed honeybees and the invasive bumblebee Bombus terrestris. Pollinator
contribution to raspberry yield was twice as high in the early flowering
period compared to the late period (61% vs. 31% increase in drupelet set,
respectively). Flower damage caused by extremely high visitation frequency
by non-native bees was also six times lower in the early than in the late
flowering period (5% vs. 30% of damaged flowers, respectively). Synthesis
and applications: Providing sufficient pollen and nectar resources to
support wild pollinators over extended periods in agricultural landscapes
can contribute to crop pollination and ensure high fruit weight and
quality. This can be achieved by restoring natural and semi-natural areas
next to crop fields with native, long-flowering plant species.
Additionally, growers and crop breeding programmes should consider
selection of flowering time to coincide with the period of high diversity
or abundance of native pollinators in order to reduce dependence on
managed pollinators.