Variation in mutualisms: the spatiotemporal mosaic of a pollinator assemblage

Abstract

Variation in time (annual and seasonal) and space (between- and within-population) is examined for the pollinator assemblage of Lavandula latifolia (Labiatae), an insect-pollinated, summer-flowering, evergreen shrub of Mediterranean woodlands in southeastern Spain. Lauandula l a t i f l i a is pollinated there by nearly 85 species of comparatively long-tongued Hymenoptera, Diptera and Lepidoptera. The diversity, composition and abundance of pollinators varied markedly between years. Lepidopteran taxa prevailed numerically in one year, hymenopterans in four years, and both groups had similar abundance in the remaining year. The vast majority of pollinators exhibited significant annual differences in average abundance. Only 35.7 % of taxa were recorded in all of the six study years. The pollinator assemblage had marked seasonal dynamics. Important changes in species richness, abundance and composition took place over the flowering season of L. l a t i f l i a (nearly 3 months). Only 21.7y0 of insect taxa occurred throughout the flowering season. Lavandula la t i f l ia populations at different distances from water courses differed broadly in the abundance and composition of pollinators. Hymenopterans dominated numerically at the water-distant sites, whereas lepidopterans prevailed in populations growing in the vicinity of streams. Only 40.7 % o