Interaction neutrality, species abundance, and forbidden links constrained by phenology, habitat preference, and morphology have been suggested to shape the structure of plant–pollinator networks. However, only a few studies have examined these factors together in specific plant–pollinator networks.

We modified Vázquez et al.’s (2009) null model approach to examine the relative importance of neutrality, species abundance, and forbidden links and determine whether a given observed interaction strength (interaction frequency) in the networks was predicted in two different temperate plant–pollinator networks.

Overall, our quantitative null models suggested that neutrality, species abundance, and forbidden links, especially phenological overlap had important roles in connecting interactions in the temperate networks, but predictions from the models were insufficient for the explanation of real intimate interactions.