Abstract

Wild pollinators play a critical role in crop production. However, the ongoing loss of natural habitats threatens pollination services and food security. We evaluated how the percentage of surrounding natural habitat and the distance from orchard edges influence wild floral visitors and pollination deficit in sweet cherry and apple orchards in Mediterranean Chile. Additionally, we examined the relationship between floral visitation and fruit production. We studied eighteen orchards of each crop and classified them into three categories according to the percentage of natural habitats within a 1 km radius: < 35 %, 36-70 % and > 70 %. Three pollination treatments (supplementary, open, and exclusion) were applied at the edge and into the orchard interior. We quantified floral visitor richness, floral visits, fruit set and fruit quality. Our results showed that sweet cherry orchards with less than 35 % surrounding natural habitat had significantly lower wild insect species richness and floral visits compared to orchards with > 35 %. In both crops, species richness and wild floral visits declined with increasing distance from the orchard edge. Wild floral visitors enhanced fruit set in both crops, while honey bees contributed to sweet cherry fruit set and apple seed set. Although insect pollination improved fruit quality, we found no direct relationship between flower visitation and fruit quality. In apple orchards with > 70 % natural habitat, fruit weight deficit was lower at the edge compared to both the interior and the edges of orchards with < 35 % of natural habitat. We recommend conserving natural habitats around orchards to support wild pollinator diversity and visitation, thereby reducing pollination deficits.