Session

The study was conducted as a parallel activity to the LIFE BeeAdapt project, which aims to improve the territory's resilience to climate change by designing pollinator-oriented Green Infrastructures. The final goal of the project is to buffer the effects of climate changes on pollinator communities. The present study provides an essential knowledge baseline that is crucial for the development of such infrastructures and future studies. The study investigates the current structure of pollinator communities and their interactions with local vegetation by analyzing the shifting of pollinator species composition throughout the summer season and the pollination networks that are present in the area. Desynchronizations between pollinators and flowering times may indeed affect pollinator communities therefore, a deep understanding of the current state of the environment is crucial. Pollination networks are complex interactions shaped by the dependencies between plants and their pollinators. Through network analysis, it is possible to illustrate the complex relationships between pollinators and plant species, which are essential for understanding the stability and resilience of ecosystems affected by environmental changes. Data were collected in 2 study areas at different altitudes within the Torricchio Mountain Nature Reserve in Central Italy. The 2 areas were then divided into experimental and control areas. In each of the 4 sub-areas, a 500m transect was established. Data on the abundance of pollinators (Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera) and their interactions with vegetation were collected by 2 expert observers following the protocols of the LIFE BeeAdapt project. A shift in both pollinator and vegetation communities is visible with the progression of the summer season and, by analysing the pollination networks, preferential interactions between pollinators and floral species were detected, providing insights into pivotal species essential for maintaining ecosystem resilience.