Author Identifier (ORCID)
Nicola Delnevo: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4610-2224
Eddie J. van Etten: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7311-1794
William D. Stock: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2475-2963
Abstract
Human-driven habitat fragmentation is known to disrupt gene flow in a wide range of species. However, its consequences for endemic plant species that depend on specialised invertebrate pollinators remain poorly understood. Although honeybees are capable of travelling considerable distances while foraging, many small-bodied native bee species lack the capacity to expand their foraging ranges or cross anthropogenic barriers, rendering habitat fragmentation the most significant threat to these ecological interactions. In many long-lived plants, the time since fragmentation has not been long enough for detectable changes in the genetic composition of standing populations. Changes in dispersal patterns observed in seedlings may thus provide insights into future impact of habitat changes. Using paternity assignment analysis, we characterised the plant mating system and changes in dispersal patterns across multiple fragmented and non-fragmented populations. Results showed that while pollen could travel unimpeded through unfragmented bushland, fragments separated by built-up areas resulted in complete isolation, with no pollen immigration. Extensive landscape fragmentation for urbanisation limited the capacity of native pollinators to maintain effective inter-population pollen flow. Reduced contemporary gene flow may limit the capacity of small populations to regain lost genetic diversity via connectivity with larger habitat remnants, potentially compromising the long-term persistence of threatened species that depend on specialised pollinators. These findings underscore the need to incorporate species-specific life history characteristics and ecological requirements into conservation planning, including translocation and reintroduction efforts, to ensure populations are large enough to maintain genetic diversity and functional mating systems within populations.
Keywords
biodiversity hotspot, Conospermum, habitat fragmentation, native bees, paternity analysis, Proteaceae
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
4-1-2026
Volume
16
Issue
4
Publication Title
Ecology and Evolution
Publisher
Wiley
School
School of Science
RAS ID
99501
Funding Information
This project was supported by The Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment & The Ecological Society of Australia [R12019/G1004377 to ND]. This research was jointly supported by Edith Cowan University Industry Collaboration Grant and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Western Australia [G1002531].
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Delnevo, N., Piotti, A., Van Etten, E. J., Stock, W. D., Field, D. L., & Byrne, M. (2026). Exchanging genes within a city: Analysis of pollen flow patterns in a narrow endemic plant species threatened by urbanisation. Ecology and Evolution, 16(4), e73406. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.73406