Bees use the taste of pollen to determine which flowers to visit

Muth, Felicity; Francis, Jacob S.; Leonard, Anne S.

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2016.0356

Cited by 53 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Although the amount of pollen per flower was not affected in our study, the pollen viability decreased with the stress intensity. Pollen of low viability has most probably also a lower quality for insects (Muth et al., ). The pollen viability may thus also explain the flower visitation in our experiment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Defects appear particularly during meiosis, tapetum development, anthesis, dehiscence, and fertilization (Smith & Zhao, 2016). These modifications can alter the chemical composition of pollen, a parameter that modulates plant-pollinator interactions (Muth, Francis, & Leonard, 2016) and plant reproductive success (Zinn et al, 2010). The female organs are generally not as susceptible as the male organs to abiotic stresses (Smith & Zhao, 2016), but female gametophyte fertility and seed development could be affected by abiotic stresses (Hedhly, 2011;Su et al, 2013).…”

Section: Do Temperature and Water Stress Influence Floral Traits Anmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Temperature and water stress affect plant–pollinator interactions in Borago officinalis (Boraginaceae)

Descamps

Quinet

Baijot

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

116

127

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Climate change alters the abiotic constraints faced by plants, including increasing temperature and water stress. These changes may affect flower development and production of flower rewards, thus altering plant–pollinator interactions. Here, we investigated the consequences of increased temperature and water stress on plant growth, floral biology, flower‐reward production, and insect visitation of a widespread bee‐visited species, Borago officinalis. Plants were grown for 5 weeks under three temperature regimes (21, 24, and 27°C) and two watering regimes (well‐watered and water‐stressed). Plant growth was more affected by temperature rise than water stress, and the reproductive growth was affected by both stresses. Vegetative traits were stimulated at 24°C, but impaired at 27°C. Flower development was mainly affected by water stress, which decreased flower number (15 ± 2 flowers/plant in well‐watered plants vs. 8 ± 1 flowers/plant under water stress). Flowers had a reduced corolla surface under temperature rise and water stress (3.8 ± 0.5 cm2 in well‐watered plants at 21°C vs. 2.2 ± 0.1 cm2 in water‐stressed plants at 27°C). Both constraints reduced flower‐reward production. Nectar sugar content decreased from 3.9 ± 0.3 mg/flower in the well‐watered plants at 21°C to 1.3 ± 0.4 mg/flower in the water‐stressed plants at 27°C. Total pollen quantity was not affected, but pollen viability decreased from 79 ± 4% in the well‐watered plants at 21°C to 25 ± 9% in the water‐stressed plants at 27°C. Flowers in the well‐watered plants at 21°C received at least twice as many bumblebee visits compared with the other treatments. In conclusion, floral modifications induced by abiotic stresses related to climate change affect insect behavior and alter plant–pollinator interactions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Do Temperature and Water Stress Influence Floral Traits Anmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temperature and water stress affect plant–pollinator interactions in Borago officinalis (Boraginaceae)

Descamps

Quinet

Baijot

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

116

127

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Upon leaving their nest, bees must learn to recognise profitable flowers based on visual, olfactory and gustative cues, and to handle them for harvesting food (Menzel, ; Giurfa, ). Flower discrimination involves various forms of associative learning between a stimulus (or a combination of stimuli) and a reward (nectar, Strang & Sherry, ; pollen, Muth et al ., ). Efficient foraging also includes accurate navigation for relocating familiar food patches (flowers, plants or trees) and developing economical routes between them based on visuo‐spatial memories (Collett et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Effects of parasites and pathogens on bee cognition

Gómez‐Moracho

Heeb

Lihoreau

2017

Ecological Entomology

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Abstract. 1. Bees are key pollinators and their widespread decline has raised considerable concerns regarding the sustainability of ecosystems and food production. Many environmental stressors do not directly kill bees, but they alter their physiology and behaviour, ultimately impacting colonies and populations.2. This review considers the impact of parasites and pathogens on bee cognition. 3. First the main parasites and pathogens of bees are described, as well as how they modify the foraging behaviour, learning and memory of their hosts.4. Next, the various defence mechanisms developed by bees to mitigate these effects at both the individual and collective levels are examined.5. Finally, there is a discussion on how integrating research on host parasites, animal behaviour and cognition will provide a more detailed assessment of the contribution of parasites and pathogens to declines in the bee population and help to inform constructive ecological interventions.

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“…Like nectar, pollen can also emit odors that are attractive to pollinators (Dobson & Bergstr€ om, 2000) and honeybees, bumblebees, and solitary bees have all been shown to discriminate between forage based on pollen odors (Dobson, 1987;Kitaoka & Nieh, 2009;Arenas & Farina, 2012). Pollen taste (Ruedenauer et al, 2016;Muth et al, 2016a), flower color cues (Nicholls & de Ibarra 2014;Muth et al, 2016b), as well as temperature (Whitney et al, 2008) are also utilized by bees to detect presence and quality of the available pollen. There is strong evidence that bees prefer foraging from plants with high quality pollenin terms of high protein content and essential amino acids concentration (Robertson et al, 1999;Cook et al, 2003;Kitaoka & Nieh, 2009;Leonhardt & Bl€ uthgen, 2012;Ruedenauer et al, 2016;Vaudo et al, 2016b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forage quality and quantity affect red mason bees and honeybees differently in flowers of strawberry varieties

Ahrenfeldt

Sigsgaard

Hansted

et al. 2019

Entomologia Exp Applicata

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Nectar is a vital source of energy for bees and other pollinators and pollen represents the only source of protein in the diet of bees. Nectar and pollen quality and quantity can therefore affect foraging choices. Strawberry, Fragaria × ananassa (Rosaceae), is a flowering crop that requires insect pollination for the berries to develop optimally. The solitary red mason bee, Osmia bicornis L. (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), occurs naturally but like the eusocial western honeybee, Apis mellifera mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), it is also a commercially reared pollinator used in strawberry production. We hypothesized that strawberry nectar and pollen quality would affect the foraging choice of these two types of bees. In this study nectar and pollen quality is represented by various levels of sugar and protein content, respectively, as well as the number of open strawberry flowers in the experimental field, would affect the foraging choice of these two types of bees. Consistent with previous studies, we found significant and major differences between strawberry varieties in proportions of sucrose in the nectar sugar and in pollen viability – a proxy for pollen protein content. All measured parameters had a significant effect on red mason bee visitation frequency. Contrary to expectations, honeybee foraging behavior was only affected by the number of open flowers and not by any of the quality parameters measured. Our findings indicate that red mason bees were capable of assessing nectar and pollen quality and prioritize accordingly. The pattern observed indicates that individual red mason bees changed foraging focus between strawberry varieties depending on whether nectar or pollen was collected. Our results suggest that targeted breeding of varieties toward high levels of nectar sugar and sucrose concentrations and high pollen protein content may increase pollination success from red mason bees and possibly other solitary bees.

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Bees use the taste of pollen to determine which flowers to visit

Cited by 53 publications

References 29 publications

Temperature and water stress affect plant–pollinator interactions in Borago officinalis (Boraginaceae)

Temperature and water stress affect plant–pollinator interactions in Borago officinalis (Boraginaceae)

Effects of parasites and pathogens on bee cognition

Forage quality and quantity affect red mason bees and honeybees differently in flowers of strawberry varieties

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