Promiscuious pollinators - evidence from an Afromontane sunbird-plant pollen transport network

Sunbirds play a major role in the pollination of Old World nectiverous plants. However, with the exception of the Cape Floristic Region there is a major knowledge gap around African nectivore interaction networks- a stark contrast from the abundance of neotropical hummingbird-plant networks. Here we describe a sunbird pollen transfer network (PTN) which we use in conjunction with a sunbird- flower visitation network (FVN) to explore levels of sunbird specialization within an Afromontane forest habitat. Both networks were generalised compared with similar sized hummingbird networks, reflecting the wide range of flower types visited, the generalist diet and bill characteistics of sunbirds. Three sunbird species from the genus Cinnyris accounted for 85% of flower visits and 77% of all pollen transported. Of the 17 plant species across both networks, 15 are predominantly pollinated by insects while Anthonotha noldeae (Fabaceae- Caesalpinoidie) and Globimetula braunii (Loranthaceae) depend...