Why can’t native pollinators benefit from invasive plants?

Question

Isn’t pollen just… pollen? Why can’t native birds/bees/butterflies benefit from the pollen of invasive flowers?

In: Biology

Answer 1

they can, they do, it can even be a problem that native pollinators prefer the invasive plants and preferentially pollinate them, helping them to outcompete the native plants. It can also be the case that non-native plants aren’t accesible to native pollinators or are of less value as a source of nectar and pollen and when they replace the native plants the native pollinators starve.