Data from: Plant–pollinator interaction potential varies with temperature and precipitation in a dryland ecosystem elevational gradient

Climatic variation may affect plant–pollinator interaction potential by
shaping intra-annual patterns of flowering and foraging, thereby altering
the windows of temporal overlap between partners. We examined whether
spatial variation in temperature and precipitation predicted
plant–pollinator interaction potential across a dryland ecosystem
elevational gradient spanning desert to pine forest. Five sites
representing distinct communities along a 2230 m elevational gradient in
the Santa Rosa Mountains, CA, USA, were studied from February to August in
2021 and 2022, including 82 flowering plant species and 386 pollinator
species. Using data on flowering phenology and pollinator visits to
flowers, we tested whether temperature and precipitation explained
variation in plant–pollinator interaction potential as quantified in two
ways: whether pairs of species flowered and foraged in the same year and
site (binary temporal co-occurrence) and the magnitude of overlap in their
phenological distributions (phenological synchrony). Plants and
pollinators showed reduced temporal co-occurrence and synchrony under
warmer temperatures, and phenological synchrony between pollinators and
flowers was negatively related to precipitation. Shorter pollinator
foraging periods were associated with increased synchrony with flowering
plants, whereas shorter flowering periods were associated with decreased
synchrony with pollinators. Overall, warmer temperatures were associated
with a lower likelihood of temporal co-occurrence and reduced synchrony,
and higher precipitation was also linked to lower synchrony. These
findings indicate that climatic conditions influence the timing and
duration of plant–pollinator interactions in arid ecosystems and may alter
the temporal structure of these communities.