Interaction network for eleven Cucurbita pepo sites in Guatemala

In recent years, evidence has been found that plant-pollinator interactions are altered by land-use and that genetic diversity also plays a role. However, how land-use and genetic diversity influence plant-pollinator interactions, particularly in the Neotropics, where many endemic plants exist is still an open question. Cucurbita pepo is a monoecious plant and traditional crop wide distributed, with high rates of molecular evolution, landraces associated with human cultural management and a history of coevolution with bees, which makes this species a promising model for studying the effect of landscape and genetic diversity on plant-pollinator interactions. Here, we assess 1) whether female and male flowers differences have an effect on the interaction network, 2) how C. pepo genetic diversity affects flower-bee visitation network structure, and 3) what is the effect that land-use, accounting for C. pepo genetic variability, has on pumpkin-bee interaction network variables.  Our results indicate that female and male flowers presented the same community composition and network structure suggesting that the differences do not have a significant effect on network evolution. Genetic diversity has a positive effect on modularity, nestedness, and number of interactions, which, when considered, allows to observe how land-use variables can have an enhancing or buffering effect on nestedness. Our results suggest that considering genetic diversity is relevant for a better understanding of the effect of landscape on interaction networks. Additionally, this understanding has great value in conserving biodiversity and enhancing the stability of interaction networks in a world facing great challenges of habitat and diversity loss.