New research findings could help improve pollinator health and resilience

Most gardening enthusiasts know that certain flowers can attract pollinators. New research helps explain why and also provides more details on how nutrition found in plant pollen can determine which specific bee communities might favor your garden. On a larger scale, this research could help combat pollinator declines through better design of rangeland restoration projects.

Scientists from the USDA Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station and the University of Nevada, Reno, studied the feeding habits of wild bees. Their conclusions, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, can help guide seed and plant choices that support and improve wild bee populations. In short, their research showed that different species of bees have different nutritional needs. Since not all pollen is the same, bees feed accordingly to meet their unique needs.

“Nutrition is widely recognized as a key factor in combating pollinator declines, and plants vary in the protein and lipid content of pollens they offer to bees,” said lead author Dr. Anthony Vaudo, biology researcher at RMRS. Although nectar also provides nutrients, Vaudo focused on pollen nutrition, because larvae rely on pollen for development.

“We wanted to focus on this aspect of nutrition and foraging and its direct effects on the health of developing bees,” he added.

The researchers sampled the protein and lipid content of pollens from 109 plant species in the Great Basin region that typically flower in the same area at around the same time, providing insight into the nutritional landscape. The team observed the patterns of 75 varieties of foraging bees and found that the nutritional content of pollens in plant communities predicted which bee communities the plants would attract.

They determined that plants in related genera can offer similar pollen nutrition and are functionally similar to bees. This information can be used to predict how a bee may choose a different host plant in a new environment. The research team also discovered that many bees do not have allegiance to a particular plant family or genus, and that there is a more fundamental nutritional reason why bees prefer plants. The research is particularly relevant for the selection of seeds used for the conservation of bee habitat and plant communities.

Vaudo said: “This offers exciting opportunities for future restoration research and could change the way bee communities can be conserved or enhanced. For example, design a restoration project with more nutritionally diverse plants and test to see if they attract more bees or greater diversity. bees.

“An interesting feedback loop is that increased pollination can lead to increased seed production. This idea of ​​nutritional diversity can support healthier bee populations and hopefully provide resilience in changing environments,” he added.

Vaudo thanks his co-authors in the Department of Biology at the University of Nevada, Reno for their critical contributions to the project. Dr. Anne Leonard’s background in behavioral studies has allowed her to gain the “bee perspective” and consider community behavior. Dr. Lee Dyer developed appropriate statistics to analyze the data.