Visitation rates and pollinator sets at the periphery and central parts of single-species plant patches

Abstract

Three model plant species (Aegopodium podagraria, Tripleurospermum inodorum, and Geranium palustri) were used to show the differences in visitation rates and pollinator sets between plant individuals growing at the center and periphery of single-species patches. Most of the insect species visited the center more frequently, but Phaonia basalis (Diptera, Muscidae) and Leptura flava (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) preferred the peripheral parts. The species studied contributed much to the substantial part of the plant visitors at the patch periphery. These differences could cause an additional restriction in the pollen flow between individuals of the same species growing in close proximity.