A mosaic of habitats and invasive flowering plants contribute to temporal stability of nectar for pollinators

Brett, Maisie, Baloyi, Nsovo Happiness, Vaughan, Ian P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7263-3822 and Memmott, Jane 2026. A mosaic of habitats and invasive flowering plants contribute to temporal stability of nectar for pollinators. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 148 (3) , blag042. 10.1093/biolinnean/blag042

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Abstract

Floral nectar availability varies seasonally, creating potential hunger gaps or deficits for nectar-feeding species. Invasive flowering plants may supplement nectar supplies in introduced ranges and stabilize availability over time, but this effect remains poorly quantified. Here we quantify landscape-scale nectar provision across three vegetation types in South African Fynbos, modelling how habitat diversity and three invasive Eucalyptus species influence temporal nectar stability for pollinators. Fortnightly surveys at 24 sites recorded flowering phenology and nectar production for 159 native plant species and three invasive Eucalyptus species. Adding 10 Eucalyptus trees per hectare of natural vegetation increased temporal nectar stability by 11–26% and total nectar availability by up to 94%. Eucalyptus camaldulensis flowered during otherwise nectar-poor periods, reducing seasonal ‘hunger gaps’ for pollinators. Across all vegetation types, a small subset of native species contributed the majority of nectar resources. Mathematical simulations further showed that access to multiple vegetation types significantly enhanced nectar stability, highlighting the importance of habitat heterogeneity for pollinators. Together, these findings provide a framework for estimating nectar provision at landscape scales and demonstrate how native plant diversity, alongside carefully managed non-native species, can help sustain pollinators in changing environments.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Biosciences
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
ISSN:	0024-4066
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	20 July 2026
Last Modified:	20 Jul 2026 14:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/188347

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