Data from: Bee pollinator functional responses and functional effects in restored tropical forests

Wild pollinators are necessary for ensuring plant reproduction not only
among crop fields but also remnant and restored ecosystems. Restoration
activities should, therefore, lead to wild pollinator recovery, and thus
be monitored to evaluate effects on pollinator diversity and
functionality. We assessed bee pollinator functional responses in
restoration plantings by creating functional groups (traits: body size,
nesting location, sociality and foraging strategy), comparing their
abundance and diversity to that of other habitats (i.e. conserved and
degraded primary forest fragments, anthropogenic wetlands and sugarcane
fields), and testing for an effect of source habitat (i.e., primary forest
fragments) isolation. We analyzed functional effects on pollen
transportation by identifying the pollen grains attached on the bodies of
bees; creating plant functional groups with the identified species
(traits: habit, successional class, geographic origin and pollination
mode); comparing their frequency, diversity and interaction network
structure among habitats; and searching for key interactions in network
modules. In general, the abundance and diversity of bee communities and
the frequency and diversity of the interacting plant species in
restoration plantings were lower than those in primary forest fragments
but higher than those in anthropogenic wetlands and sugarcane fields,
suggesting that restoration plantings better enhance bee community
recovery and functionality than other disturbed habitats. The interacting
bees and plants were also negatively affected by habitat isolation,
demonstrating the importance of primary forest fragments to supply bee
populations to restored sites. The structure of interaction networks was
little affected by habitat change and isolation, but the composition and
diversity of functional groups varied significantly. There were more
effects on larger bee species with more restricted nesting and floral
requirements, and the woody species with which they interact most
frequently. We identified key functional groups of bee pollinators that
deserve priority for conservation because they play an important role in
the pollen transportation of some the most relevant species in remnant
forests and restoration plantings, and also respond more negatively to
habitat disturbances. Restoration efforts should include provisioning of
nesting resources and management and conservation of primary forest
remnant fragments that represent source habitats for them.