Does Land Management Intensity Influence Pollinator Assemblages and Plant–Pollinator Interactions in the Lowlands of Terceira Island (Azores)?

Mário Boieiro (), Ana Ceia-Hasse, Raúl Oliveira, Ricardo Costa and Paulo A. V. Borges
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Mário Boieiro: Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (CE3C) & CHANGE—Global Change and Sustainability Institute, University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d’Ávila, Pico da Urze, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal
Ana Ceia-Hasse: CIBIO, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, InBIO Associate Laboratory, School of Agronomy, University of Lisbon, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal
Raúl Oliveira: Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (CE3C) & CHANGE—Global Change and Sustainability Institute, University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d’Ávila, Pico da Urze, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal
Ricardo Costa: Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (CE3C) & CHANGE—Global Change and Sustainability Institute, University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d’Ávila, Pico da Urze, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal
Paulo A. V. Borges: Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (CE3C) & CHANGE—Global Change and Sustainability Institute, University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d’Ávila, Pico da Urze, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-16

Abstract: Human-driven land use change and intensification is a major threat to global biodiversity. High levels of land management intensity may reduce species diversity, change the composition and structure of plant and animal communities and disrupt ecological processes. However, there is still scarce information on the impacts of land management intensity on island pollinator communities and their interactions with plants. Here, we aim to assess how different land use types (natural vegetation, semi-natural pastures, and intensive pastures), representing a gradient of grazing intensification, influence pollinator diversity and plant–pollinator interactions on Terceira Island (Azores). We surveyed 30 sites (10 per land use) and recorded 1453 visits by 41 pollinator species. Alpha diversity did not differ among land uses, but grazing intensification reduced the abundance of several native species while favoring some exotics, such as the honeybee. Network analyses showed changes in structural properties and declines in interactions between native species with increasing grazing disturbance. Introduced species, particularly the honeybee, dominated interactions in intensively managed habitats, replacing native species from key ecological roles. Our findings highlight the vulnerability of island ecosystems to grazing intensification and emphasize the need for conservation measures in the Azores, namely the reduction in grazing intensity, restoration of habitat connectivity, and implementation of pollinator-friendly agri-environmental schemes to enhance native biodiversity and sustain ecosystem services.

Keywords: biotic homogenization; flower visitors; island biodiversity; generalist pollinators; pastures; pollination networks (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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