Pollinator nutrition and its role in merging the dual objectives of pollinator health and optimal crop production

Abstract

Bee and non-bee insect pollinators play an integral role in the quantity and quality of production for many food crops, yet there is growing evidence that nutritional challenges to pollinators in agricultural landscapes are an important factor in the reduction of pollinator populations worldwide. Schemes to enhance crop pollinator health have historically focused on floral resource plantings aimed at increasing pollinator abundance and diversity by providing more foraging opportunities for bees. These efforts have demonstrated that improvements in bee diversity and abundance are achievable; however, goals of increasing crop pollination outcomes via these interventions are not consistently met. To support pollinator health and crop pollination outcomes in tandem, habitat enhancements must be tailored to meet the life-history needs of specific crop pollinators, including non-bees. This will require greater understanding of the nutritional demands of these taxa together with the supply of floral and non-floral food resources and how these interact in cropping environments. Understanding the mechanisms underlying crop pollination and pollinator health in unison across a range of taxa is clearly a win–win for industry and conservation, yet achievement of these goals will require new knowledge and novel, targeted methods. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Natural processes influencing pollinator health: from chemistry to landscapes’.

Drought and temperature stresses impact pollen production and autonomous selfing in a California wildflower, Collinsia heterophylla

“…Alterations to floral traits as plants respond to stressful environmental conditions, can directly impact pollinators that need floral pollen and nectar for sustenance (Bronstein, 1994). Thus, plant stress responses have a direct, negative effect on pollinators due to reduced amounts and shortened duration for which floral resources are available, further debilitating pollinators that already face challenges resulting from loss in flowering habitats (Al‐Ghzawi et al, 2009; El Balla et al, 2013; Jones & Rader, 2022; Phillips et al, 2018) and compromised pollen nutritional quality in stressed plants (Arathi et al, 2018). While it is possible that generalist pollinators can broaden their foraging activity and move to other plant species flowering in the region, for pollinator populations to be sustained by such a diet shift, it is necessary to assume that the other plant species in the region are also not exhibiting similar altered responses to the ambient environmental stresses.…”

Seasonal patterns of beneficial phytochemical availability in honey and stored pollen from honey bee colonies in large apiaries

“…This is a novel, exploratory study whose findings and interpretations are relevant to the apiary locations in Colorado and suggest the importance of looking into the availability of these nutritive compounds. Previous studies have explored the nutritional landscapes of pollinators and have provided evidence for the lack of plant diversity (Goulson et al 2015, Jones and Rader 2022, Lau et al 2022, Stevenson et al 2022 and references therein). Studies have also reviewed the digestibility of pollen and its nutritional content for animals (Roulston and Cane 2000) focusing on individual plant species, their pollen structure and content.…”

Natural processes influencing pollinator health

“…The final paper in this section looks beyond bees to include other insect pollinator taxa and addresses pollination at the landscape scale. Jones & Rader [ 63 ] broadly review the nutritional challenges for pollinators in agroecosystems, emphasizing the need to maximize not only bee diversity and abundance but also crop pollination outcomes. Preserving remnant habitat and introducing extra floral resources do not necessarily improve pollinator health or crop yields.…”