Floral visitors and pollinators of Silene migjornensis

This dataset contains data on the floral visitor surveys conducted on Silene migjornensis in the population of Sa Ràpita (Mallorca, western Mediterranean Basin) during the flowering season of 2024 as well as data on the taxonomic identification and pollen load of collected specimens (number of pollen grains of S. migjornensis and other pollen grains loaded).

Methods
Direct captures of floral visitors observed on S. migjornensis flowers and indirect captures using a light tramp for nocturnal pollinators (Robinson Mercury Moth Trap) were conducted in the natural population in Platja de sa Ràpita (29º 21’N 2º 57’S), once or twice a week during April 2024. Floral visitor surveys were conducted at 2-hour intervals from 18:00 to 4:00 solar time in four non-consecutive days along the flowering period. In each survey, the number of floral visitors on five groups of 100 flowers were recorded. Captured floral visitors were frozen for taxonomic identification and pollen load analyses.

Reagarding pollen load analyses, pollen was extracted from the body surface using cubes of fuchsine glycerogelatin. The gel cube was rubbed to the body surface, heated to melt, and mounted on a slide for pollen counting and identification under a stereomicroscope. To standardise the pollen counts, four fields of view were counted using a 4x magnification objective. Pollen identification was performed by comparison with a pollen library, which included co-flowering plant species from the study site and the surroundings. For each specimen captured directly on flowers, pollinator efficacy (calculated as the number of pollen grains of S. migjornensis) and pollen fidelity (calculated as the percentage of S. migjornensis pollen grains relative to the total pollen load) were determined.