Exploring palm-insect interactions across geographical and environmental gradients.

To understand the driving factors behind the specificity amongst plant visitors and potential pollinators, we identified Mystrops spp. from eight palm species representative of each of the major clades of Wettinia (Arecaceae). We collected 31 palm inflorescences of at least three individuals per species from three different regions of across the distribution of the palms (Colombian Andes, Amazon and Choco). Sixty thousand visiting insect individuals were collected, 53% of which correspond to 17 different Mystrops morphospecies. The average number of pollinator species was highest in W. fascicularis (five species) and lowest in W. drudei (one species). We found high specificity between the Mystrops assemblages and Wettinia spp. and, in general terms, one primary visitor per Wettinia sp. These results confirm previous reports of a strong mutualistic relationship between Arecaceae and Mystrops. Using inference of environmental niches, we found Wettinia spp. to be segregated along their distribution on climatic gradients. Finally, we found that climate has an important role in shaping pollinator species turnover, even after controlling for spatial distance, and that phylogenetic relatedness also has a positive effect on turnover of Mystrops spp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]