Pollination success increases with plant diversity in high Andean communities

Pollinator-mediated plant-plant interactions have traditionally been viewed within the competition paradigm. However, facilitation via pollinator sharing might be the rule rather than the exception in harsh environments. Moreover, plant diversity could be playing a key role in fostering pollinator-mediated facilitation. We examined a total of 9,371 stigmas of 88 species from nine high-Andean communities in NW Patagonia, and we explored the prevalent sign of the relation between conspecific pollen receipt and heterospecific pollen diversity, and assessed whether the incidence of different outcomes varies with altitude and whether pollen receipt relates to plant diversity.