Synergies and tradeoffs in conserving diverse pollinators: a traits-based approach

Insect pollinators constitute diverse taxa, each with their own natural histories and resource requirements. This can make pollinator conservation difficult. A traits-based approach offers a potential solution to this problem. Traits – aspects that help to improve an organism’s fitness – enable grouping organisms based on shared characteristics to broadly understand how groups interact with their environment and are affected by global change. Here we used a traits-based approach to identify synergies and trade-offs in conserving pollinators that differ in their resource requirements. We focused on flower-visiting bees, wasps, beetles, flies, and butterflies. Within and across these groups, insects vary widely in their food and shelter needs. To address our question, we quantified flower-visiting insect communities, flowers, and vegetation structure on ranches in North Texas. We asked how species’ traits including sociality, body size, shelter preference, and food sources relate to food and shelter resource availability in rangelands. Understanding which habitat features are important for specific pollinator groups is critical for effective insect conservation.