Foraging bee species differentially prioritize quantity and quality of floral rewards.

ABSTRACT: Pollinator-plant interactions represent a core mutualism that underpins biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems, and the loss of flowering plants is a major driver of pollinator declines. Bee attraction to flowers is mediated by both quantity of resources (the number of available flowers for exploration) and quality of resources (pollen nutritional value), but whether and how bees prioritize these factors is not well understood. Here, we leveraged a unique plant system to investigate the floral factors influencing bee foraging decisions. Recombinant inbred plant lines were generated by crossing the self-fertilizing Capsella rubella and the pollinator-dependent outcrosser C. grandiflora, to produce plants that varied across floral traits. Using enclosed arenas, we evaluated the

SUBMITTER: Mokkapati JS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11477986 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature