The decline of pollinator populations and its consequences for native plant reproduction is currently receiving increased attention. A recent comparative study indicates that there is a global correlation between the number of plant species in a community and the degree to which plant reproduction is limited by pollinator visitation. In order to test whether this pattern is also detectable on a local scale, we experimentally supplemented pollen to Lasthenia fremonti (Asteraceae) plants growing in communities that varied in species richness.
Results/Conclusions The degree of pollen limitation was not correlated with local species richness, phylogenetic diversity, or mean pairwise phylogenetic distance between the plants in the community and the focal species. We consider the implications of these results for the importance of pollinators as drivers of plant reproduction and community structure.
