Data from: Differential effects of pollen nutritional quality on male and female reproductive success across plant species within a diverse co-flowering community

Pollen protein content has been demonstrated to be an essential
nutritional component for pollinators, particularly bees, and thus
important in mediating plant-pollinator interactions. However, it is
unknown how investment in pollen protein impacts male and female
reproductive success in plants within diverse co-flowering communities.
Among-species variation in resources allocated to pollen nutrition could
further be constrained by life-history strategies (e.g.,
survival-reproduction trade-offs) or evolutionary history. Here, we
surveyed pollen protein content for 29 species within a diverse
co-flowering community and evaluated the effect of pollen protein on male
and female reproductive success across plant species. We also tested the
role of life history (annuals vs perennials) and phylogeny in mediating
differences in resource allocation to pollen nutrition.  We found
that pollen protein content influences components of male (bee visitor
abundance and pollen dispersal) but not female (conspecific pollen
deposition and pollen tube growth) reproductive success, suggesting this
trait affects plants via male function with the potential for sexual
conflicts driven by differential investment on this trait. We found no
phylogenetic signal on pollen protein content. However, pollen protein
content was higher in annual compared to perennial species suggesting
survival versus reproduction trade-offs also contribute to variation in
pollen protein at the community level.  Our study underscores the
importance of understanding the ecological and evolutionary drivers of
pollen protein content across plant species. Our results further suggest
the existence of sexual conflicts and ecological trade-offs mediated by
differential investment in pollen nutritional quality, with important
implications for community assembly and the structure of plant-pollinator
interactions.