Ecological Interactions Between Camellia oleifera and Insect Pollinators Across Heterogeneous Habitats

<i>Camellia oleifera</i> is an important woody oil plant in southern China, and developing its industry can enhance forest resource uses and increase edible oil supply. This study investigated the floral characteristics of different <i>C. oleifera</i> varieties, analysed the species and diversity of flower-visiting insects in different habitats, identified the main pollinators and their flower-visiting behaviours, and explored the relationship between pollinating insects and their floral characteristics. The floral lifespan of individual <i>C. oleifera</i> flowers was 5-8 d across cultivars, which is essentially the same. However, floral traits and nectar sugar composition exhibited distinct differences. There were 22 species of insect pollinators from 14 genera and 8 families, including Hymenoptera and Diptera, in 3 habitats. High-potential pollinators varied by habitat, with <i>Apis cerana</i> and <i>Phytomia zonata</i> being the most frequent. A comparison showed that <i>A. cerana</i> was the best pollinator, whereas <i>P. zonata</i> had a larger population, was not affected by oil tea nectar poisoning, and could still pollinate. Therefore, the contribution of <i>P. zonata</i> cannot be overlooked. Redundancy analysis revealed the response relationship between the floral traits of <i>C. oleifera</i> and three insect population characteristics. Stamen length was the main floral trait affecting insect populations.