Calibrating the data logger…
The Interconnecting Threads in the Web of Life: How the Floral Nutrient Landscape Influences Plant-Pollinator Interactions Abstract: Wild bumble bees are critical pollinators in both natural and agricultural ecosystems, particularly in temperate and alpine environments. They rely exclusively on food provided by plants in the form of pollen and nectar. The populations of many wild bee species, including wild bumble bees, are declining. Global pollinator declines are attributed in part to nutritional stress caused by reduced floral food diversity and abundance. Yet, we know little about most wild bumble bee species' dietary requirements and preferences despite their ecological importance. To date, a complete nutrient landscape for wild bumble bees (the nutritional composition of pollen and nectar of flowering plants in a community) has never been quantified under natural conditions. Additionally, we do not yet know how nutrients in pollen and nectar influence bumble bees' dietary choices and how nutrients influence plant-pollinator interactions. To address these knowledge gaps, my research builds on an ongoing long-term study of bumble bee foraging interactions at the RMBL by conducting (i) multiple years of bee-flower interaction observations; (ii) protein, lipid, and carbohydrate analysis of pollen and the quantification of sugar content in nectar collected from bumble bee-visited plants; and (iii) using these nutrient data to explore webs of interactions among plants and pollinators. By incorporating nutrition into the study of pollination, my research will contribute to our understanding of the basic biology of local plants and bumble bees, how the availability of nutrients for bumble bees changes over time, and how nutrients in pollen and nectar influence plant-pollinator interactions.