Data from: Species morphology better predicts plant-hummingbird interactions across elevations than nectar traits

Species traits greatly influence interactions between plants and
pollinators where floral nectar is the primary energy source fostering
this mutualism. However, very little is known about how nectar traits
mediate interactions in pollination networks compared to morphological
traits. Here, we evaluated the role of morphological and nectar traits in
shaping plant-hummingbird interaction networks along an elevation
gradient. For this, we assessed patterns in floral phenotypic traits and
network properties of plant species across elevations in Costa Rica. We
also analysed whether plant species with generalised flower traits are
ecological generalists and how morphological trait matching vs nectar
traits affect interactions. We found marked variation in floral phenotypic
traits and flower abundance of hummingbird-visited plant species across
ten sites along the elevation gradient. We did not find evidence for a
relationship between flower morphology and nectar traits or between
morphological and ecological generalisation of plant species.
Plant-hummingbird interaction frequency increased when the lengths of
hummingbird bill and flower corolla were similar, indicating morphological
matching, whereas nectar traits were unrelated to interactions. While
nectar may play a difficult-to-detect secondary role within
plant-hummingbird networks, our results reinforce the idea that
morphological matching is an important factor structuring ecological
communities.