Data from:Optimising spatial distribution of mass-flowering patches at the landscape scale to increase crop pollination.

Implanting new plots of mass-flowering resources in landscapes can have both positive and negative effects on pollinator visitation rates to crops. We investigated the effects of flowering plot characteristics on the best places to locate new co-flowering plots to optimise crop pollination. First,we parameterised and validated an existing pollination model with field data. Then,we ran two simulation experiments,both of which simulated the conversion of one or multiple plots by modifying their flowering and nesting resource attributes. We quantified changes in pollinator visitation rates to "target" sunflower fields according to different conversion scenarios.The data set is composed of (i) the validation of the spatially explicit InVEST pollination model using field data collected in the Vallées et Coteaux de Gascogne (France),and (ii) the results associated with the two simulation experiments using InVEST pollination model. For the validation of model parameters,we sampled bees in 30 sites with three coloured pan traps per sampling site. We compared the predicted visitation rates vs the observed total abundance of bees in the pan traps. The visitation rate predictions were calculated in different radii around the sampling sites (from 1 to 100 m in increments of 1 m). The first experiment simulated the conversion of the flowering and nesting attributes of 1800 plots according to four scenarios (wildflower plot,sunflower field,More flowers,More nests). Changes in visitation rates induced by plot conversion were assessed in 368 target sunflower fields and then analysed according to the distance separating the converted plots from the target sunflower fields. For statistical replication,we divided our study area into 15 circular sectors. The radius of the circular sectors was 5 km and the sectors were centered on the centroid of a target sunflower field. The second simulation experiment quantified changes in visitation rates caused by the conversion of multiple plots into sunflower fields which are isolated to greater (Isolation scenario) or less extents (Aggregation scenario). The target sunflower fields used to assess changes in visitation rates were the 15 sunflower fields defining the centre of the 15 circular sectors and the converted sunflower fields.