Plants other than animal-pollinated herbs provide wild bees with vital nutrients

Global Ecology and Conservation, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 52, P. e02984 - e02984

Published: May 10, 2024

Adult pollinators that forage primarily for energy have traditionally guided our understanding of plant–pollinator interactions, leading to assumptions about the importance different plants pollinators. Consequently, pollinator conservation strategies potentially overlook balance juvenile diets. I studied a representative bee, Osmia bicornis, explore contributions various nutritional quality diet. Using ecological stoichiometry and micronutrient ecology, investigated proportions vital body-building chemical elements (C, N, P, S, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn Cu; henceforth "nutrients") in larval pollen loads. considered botanical origin, location sexual dimorphism niche as factors influencing nutrient Redundancy analysis indicated main factor determining proportion was which accounted 70.17% variation; contributed 20.21%, sex 8.43%. Among 30 taxa composing loads, determinants content were oak, maple, chestnut, cabbage family, buttercup, grasses. Trees wind-pollinated provided important nutrients. Oak maple contributors nutrients essential growth body development (N, Cu, Zn). Grasses buttercups is bees. Complex habitat management schemes extending beyond traditional seed mixes are conservation, non-obvious plant species provide should be included efforts create complex landscape enabling balanced

Language: Английский

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Quantifying the production of plant pollen at the farm scale

New Phytologist, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 242(6), P. 2888 - 2899

Published: April 15, 2024

Plant pollen is rich in protein, sterols and lipids, providing crucial nutrition for many pollinators. However, we know very little about the quantity, quality timing of availability real landscapes, limiting our ability to improve food supply We quantify floral longevity production a whole plant community first time, enabling us calculate daily availability. combine these data with abundance nectar measures from UK farmland at landscape scale throughout year. Pollen were significantly correlated unit, level. The species highest quantity on Salix spp. (38%), Filipendula ulmaria (14%), Rubus fruticosus (10%) Taraxacum officinale (9%). Hedgerows most pollen-rich habitats, but permanent pasture provided majority scale, because its large area. closely associated their phenology, both peaking late April, before declining steeply June remaining low Our provide starting point including resource assessments ensuring nutritional requirements pollinators are met landscapes.

Language: Английский

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A novel insecticide impairs bumblebee memory and sucrose responsiveness across high and low nutrition

Royal Society Open Science, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 11(5)

Published: May 1, 2024

Wild bees are important pollinators of crops and wildflowers but exposed to a myriad different anthropogenic stressors, such as pesticides poor nutrition, consequence intensive agriculture. These stressors do not act in isolation, interact, may exacerbate one another. Here, we assessed whether field-realistic concentration flupyradifurone, novel pesticide that has been labelled 'bee safe' by regulators, influenced bumblebee sucrose responsiveness long-term memory. In fully crossed experimental design, individual bumblebees (

Language: Английский

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Dietary foundations for pollinators: nutritional profiling of plants for bee health

Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 8

Published: June 26, 2024

Human activities, including urban expansion, intensive farming practices, and the application of pesticides have significantly reshaped bee habitats. Understanding nutritional content pollen, primary source bees’ proteins lipids, is important for maintaining their diet health. In this study, we set out to determine composition pollen from various plant families genera. Our objectives were analyze levels non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs), amino (AAs), protein-to-lipid (P:L) ratios, omega-6:3 ratios 57 species native North America. These data suggest a potential trade-off between NEFA AA within suggesting that diverse floral may benefit bees more than single source. The profiles showed considerable diversity, with all providing essential (EAAs) required health, except methionine which was lacking in Rhus glabra pollen. family Asteraceae especially abundant EAAs. P:L varied widely further emphasizing need access array profiles. There no overall differences introduced species. This study highlights significance resources meet comprehensive needs bees, contributing support pollinator populations broader ecological system.

Language: Английский

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Bringing population ecology back to wild bees

Ecosphere, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 15(9)

Published: Sept. 1, 2024

Abstract In recent years, motivated by widespread declines in wild bees, ecologists have prioritized learning about patterns of bee communities across the landscape at expense population‐level mechanisms driving those patterns. this essay, we seek to revitalize tradition studying populations a way that both contributes key knowledge for conservation and builds strong conceptual understanding processes underpinning populations. We address two concerns investing research. First, studies are too conceptually narrow provide broad inference. If couched general ecological theory, then findings from single species can be generalized many. highlight how bees would make excellent candidates exploring five areas ideas population ecology, including nutritional drivers vital rates, phenology voltinism, habitat selection, movement. Second, concern methods level difficult implement. Methods conducting bees—specifically, identifying living field individuals throughout their life cycles—are feasible implement scales appropriate answering questions, example, few sites. To facilitate adoption these ideas, developed an online guide ( www.watchingbees.com ) detailed manual. More generally, emphasize value linking data‐rich pattern‐oriented approaches ecology with basic biology generate

Language: Английский

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The effects of diet enhancement on the health of commercial bumblebee colonies

Apidologie, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 56(1)

Published: Jan. 2, 2025

Abstract Commercially reared bees provide economically important pollination services for a diversity of crops. Improving their health is both to maximise and avoid possible pathogen spillover or spillback with wild pollinators. Diet quality may directly indirectly affect diverse aspects bumblebee health, including colony development, individual size immune but the impact this remains unclear. Here we investigate experimentally effect diet during development using three diets: (1) standard pollen used in commercial rearing colonies sale, (2) an enhanced comprised wildflower mix that was expected be nutritionally superior (including by having elevated protein content) (3) substitute mixed poorer. The on quantified colony-level measures (colony weight, [number live workers] number dead individuals), individual-level (body size, fat body [proportion weight], total haemocyte count phenoloxidase enzyme activity). significantly affected growth, fed growing larger producing more reproductives than those either poor diet. also resulted were had better health. results show can have effects commercially bumblebees suggest enhancement standard-rearing diets improve

Language: Английский

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Spatio-temporal variation in pollen collected by honey bees (Apis mellifera) in rural-urban mosaic landscapes in Northern Europe

PLoS ONE, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 20(2), P. e0309190 - e0309190

Published: Feb. 4, 2025

Pollen is a source of protein, lipids, vitamins and minerals for bees other flower-visiting insects. The composition macro- micronutrients pollen vary among different plant species. Honey are long-distance foragers, collecting nectar from plants within several kilometers their hive. Availability the foraging range honey highly dynamic, changing seasonally, across landscapes. In present study, aim was to investigate collected by in rural-urban landscape mosaics typical Northern Europe. Samples corbiculate were 3–9 times during growing season citizen scientist bee keepers total 25 observation apiaries Denmark 2014–2015. Palynological analysis conducted identifying 500 grains per sample type (mostly genus). diversity denoted number types sample, while relative abundance calculated as proportional representation type, if found >1% sample. quantity study years sites measured occurrence each (number samples with present) (total grains). variable, effects season, year, area green urban spaces. terms quantity, few key occurred repeatedly abundantly samples. Only 17 >15 These consistent may impact colony health, hence decisions bees, especially late summer. However, bulk colonies came limited sources, regardless year context Denmark.

Language: Английский

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Variation in the pollen diet of managed bee species across European agroecosystems

Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 383, P. 109518 - 109518

Published: Feb. 14, 2025

Language: Английский

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Data on the diet and nutrition of urban and rural bumblebees

Scientific Data, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 12(1)

Published: Feb. 17, 2025

Language: Английский

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Extreme heat affects blueberry pollen nutrition, bee health, and plant reproduction

Scientific Reports, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 15(1)

Published: Feb. 20, 2025

Extreme heat events are increasingly common, and if these align with pollen development, they can alter nutrient composition. However, no studies have examined how the timing of relative to bud development affects role in plant pollination bee health. To explore this, we exposed highbush blueberry plants extreme (37.5 °C) or normal (25 conditions for 4 h across several floral stages. Pollen was analyzed protein, carbohydrate, amino acid content. We found that buds vary their sensitivity heat, swell being most heat-sensitive developmental stage significant reductions total individual acids. When from same fed Osmia lignaria larvae, individuals heat-stressed were 7 times more likely die compared those non-stressed pollen. Blueberry flowers used a hand study, where observed 39% reduction fruit set following stress at swell. This study reveals disrupt both survival through changes nutritional

Language: Английский

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