Floral resources in a changing world

Wild bees are ecologically and economically critical pollinators, who not only enhance the pollination services of honeybees, but who are also capable of more effectively pollinating certain crops. In light of their value to food security, recent declines of wild bees are a major agricultural concern. Disruptions to the nutritional resources available to bees are a potential driver of these declines. Besides direct impacts on growth and survival, nutrition likely also has interactive effects, given its role in mediating responses to other stressors. Much of our work to consider the effects of anthropogenic stressors on bees includes a nutritional perspective on how climate change and agricultural pesticides influence the value of nectar and pollen, as well as bees’ capacity to efficiently collect these resources.

With new USDA-NIFA funding (CoPDs Anthony Vaudo and Dylan Kosma) we are exploring how climate stressors impact bee health, mediated by potential changes to pollen lipid chemistry. We’re excited about this project that combines nutritional ecology and lipid biochemistry in, we hope, interesting ways to help predict how bees may fare in a warming world. Currently this effort is being spearheaded by Charles Dean and Jess Buelow.