Influence of Invasive Plant Species on Pollinator Networks and Crop Pollination Services: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

The majority of blooming plants and numerous agricultural crops depend on pollinators for reproduction, which is crucial for preserving biodiversity and ensuring global food security. However, pollinator diversity and plant-pollinator interactions are seriously threatened by the fast spread of invasive alien plant species (IAPS). Invasive species frequently decrease native plant variety and pollination efficiency by changing the availability of floral resources, pollinator foraging behavior, and ecological networks. Pollinator visiting patterns, interaction frequency, and network stability have been observed to be altered by species like Lantana camara, Parthenium hysterophorus, Ageratina adenophora, Impatiens glandulifera, and Prosopis juliflora. By decreasing pollinator variety and interfering with migratory migration between wild and farmed habitats, these modifications may have a detrimental impact on crop pollination services. The intensity of the invasion, the features of the ecosystem, and the makeup of the pollinator community all affect how big these effects are. The consequences of invasive plant species on pollinator communities, the structure of the plant-pollinator network, and crop pollination services are summarized in this article. Major ecological mechanisms, case studies from India and around the world, research gaps, and management techniques for pollinator conservation and ecosystem resilience restoration are also highlighted.