Pollination and Dispersal in Fragmented Landscape

Abstract

Pollination and dispersal are some of the important ecological functions of an ecosystem. Above 90% of all flowering plant species are pollinated by animals. Pollinators are drivers of plant distribution and assemblage into plant communities. However, these, often mutualistic interactions, are threatened in the Anthropocene. Plant–pollinator interaction in a fragmented landscape could cause community/ecosystem instability by decreasing productivity. Conserving remnant patches as conservation reserves would attract several pollinators, which in turn promotes pollination. In the long term, it would maintain and increase plant diversity of an ecosystem. Gene flow within and among plant communities is largely shaped by seed dispersal. This further enhances connectivity between plant populations. Threats such as habitat fragmentation could lead to the loss of biotic dispersers such as mammals and birds, which could lead to the loss of plant species and functional diversity by reducing seed dispersal and recruitment. Dispersers’ loss could have direct and indirect influences on plant population and communities. Establishing ecological networks to improve the success of seed dispersal through a fragmented landscape could increase ecological connectivity. Several small reserves (SS), trees scattered in farmlands, Church forests, and home gardens could be considered as seedscape for plant dispersal in a human-dominated landscape. In order to increase the probability of seeds reaching suitable habitats and increase species richness and diversity, the protection of smaller patches as small reserves could serve as habitat connectivity. Nevertheless, great care must be applied to avoid the patches not to serve as a dead-end for the dispersers and limit seed dispersal.

Keywords

Pollination ecology research is a neglected topic in the Ethiopian academia.