Tropical biodiversity and associated ecosystem functions have become heavily eroded through habitat loss. Animal-mediated pollination is required in >94% of higher tropical plant species and 75% of the world´s leading food crops, but it remains unclear if corridors avert deforestation-driven pollination breakdown in fragmented tropical landscapes. Here, we used manipulative resource experiments and field observations to show that corridors functionally connect neotropical forest fragments for forest-associated hummingbirds and increase pollen transfer. Further, corridors boosted forest-associated pollinator availability in fragments by 14.3 times compared to unconnected equivalents, increasing overall pollination success. Plants in patches without corridors showed pollination rates equal to bagged control flowers, indicating pollination failure in isolated fragments. This indicates, for the first time, that corridors benefit tropical forest ecosystems beyond boosting local species richness, by functionally connecting mutualistic network partners. We conclude that small-scale adjustments to landscape configuration safeguard native pollinators and associated pollination services in tropical forest landscapes.

Heliconia_PollinationThe file describes the number of pollinated Heliconia tortuosa styles as a function of the number of corridors connecting the forest fragment.Phaguy_OccupThe file describes the number of detected Green Hermits P. Guy in small forest fragments as a function of the number of corridors connecting the forest fragment.Amatza_OccupThe file describes the number of detected Amazilia tzacatl hummingbirds in small forest fragments as a function of the number of corridors connecting the forest fragment.TitrationThe file describes the number of observed hummingbirds at artificial feeders, with and without corridors. Feeders at distance "0" and "1" are at the forest edge, distance "2" corresponds to 10 meters distance to the edge, "3" to 20 meters distance, etc. up to "6" for 50 meters distance.PowdertransferThe file describes the number of fluorescent dye particles transferred between experimental feeders by hummingbirds, either along a corridor ("c"), through forest ("f") or through pasture ("p").