Pollination networks do not become steadily more specialized toward the Equator
WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS
A global synthesis of more than 3,400 quantitative plant–pollinator networks and more than 110,000 interactions found no simple monotonic increase in specialization toward the Equator. Network- and pollinator-level specialization peaked around low northern latitudes, plant specialization showed a different asymmetric pattern, and temperature and precipitation often explained variation better than latitude, productivity or broad biodiversity gradients.
WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ
The result weakens a familiar shorthand: latitude is not a sufficient proxy for interaction structure. For conservation and restoration, interaction networks may respond to climatic context and taxonomic composition in ways that species richness alone will not predict.
CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY
The database combines networks collected with different methods, sampling effort and completeness. The analysis is observational and cannot by itself establish climate as the causal driver of specialization, and patterns differ among plants and pollinator groups.
SOURCE
Nature Ecology & Evolution — primary study
View original evidence ↗
A synthesis of more than 3,400 quantitative networks finds climate and taxon-specific responses explain global specialization better than a simple latitudinal gradient.
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