Restoring plant-pollinator communities: using a network approach to monitor pollination function

Abstract

Ecological restoration is a common tool to mitigate the loss of species and habitats, ultimately aiming to restore ecosystem functioning. Large-scale experimental evidence is lacking, however, on whether standard management techniques, e.g. the removal of invasive alien plants, indeed restore ecosystem functions at the community level. One key ecosystem function is animal mediated pollination. Based on findings from an experimental network study on rocky outcrops (inselbergs) on the island of Mahé in the Seychelles, I present recommendations for conservation practitioners about how to incorporate a network approach into an evaluation of management effectiveness. Responses to restoration actions by plant19 pollinator communities and pollination functions lead to several conclusions regarding the resilience of native fauna and flora and ecosystem functioning. Pollination network structure appears to be directly related to the quality and resilience of pollination services, which suggests that network analysis can be used to monitor management efficacy. I present recommendations and provide advice to encourage the uptake of a network approach by conservation practitioners seeking to restore ecosystem functions.