Pollinator nutritional and foraging ecology
For more information on the Penn State Honey and Pollen Diagnostic Laboratory, see here.
Our research and others has demonstrated the important of high quality nutrition to support bee development, reproduction, and longevity. However, poor nutrition, due to decreased abundance and diversity of flowering plant species, is a major driver of managed and wild bee declines in the world.
Our studies evaluate the attractiveness of diverse types of flowering plants to managed and wild bee species, using controlled laboratory assays, field studies, and evaluations of the plant species composition of pollen collected by bees in the field using DNA meta-barcoding. We examine how the nutritional quality of the floral resources affects foraging patterns and bee health outcomes, and how variation in bee genotype, physiology and social context influences foraging preferences. Finally, with collaborators, we have evaluated how biotic and abiotic factors in the landscape influence the nutritional quality and quantity of floral resources. These studies allow us to develop recommendations for the most attractive and nutritionally important flowering plant species to support bee populations in urban, agricultural, and natural landscapes.
Figure from Vaudo AD, Tooker JF, Grozinger CM, Patch HM: Bee nutrition and floral resource restoration. Current Opinion in Insect Science 2015, 10(133-141).
References:
Erickson, E., Patch, H.M. and C.M. Grozinger. “Herbaceous perennial ornamental plants can support complex pollinator communities” Scientific Reports 11:17352 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95892-w (2021).
Vaudo, A.D., Tooker, J.F., Patch, H.M., Biddinger, D.J., Coccia, M., Crone, M.K., Fiely, M., Francis, J.S., Hines, H.M., Hodges, M., Jackson, S.W., Michez, D., Mu. J., Russo, L., Safari, M., Treanore, E.D., Vanderplanck, M., Yip, E., Leonard, A.S., C.M. Grozinger. “Pollen protein:lipid macronutrient ratios may guide broad patterns of bee species floral preferences” Insects 11(2): 132 (2020).
Sponsler, D.B., Shump, D., Richardson, R., Grozinger, C.M. “Characterizing the floral resources of a North American metropolis using a honey bee foraging assay” Ecosphere 11(4): e03102 DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3102 (2020).
Sponsler, D.B., Grozinger, C.M., Richardson, R., Nurse, A., Brough, D., Patch, H.M., and K. A. Stoner. " A screening-level assessment of the pollinator-attractiveness of ornamental nursery stock using a honey bee foraging assay" Scientific Reports 10(1), 1-9. (2020)
Russo, L., Keller, J., Vaudo, A., Grozinger, C.M., K. Shea. “Warming increases pollen lipid concentration in an invasive thistle, with minor effects on the associated floral-visitor community” Insects 11(1) 20 (2020)
Erickson, E., Adam. S., Russo, L., Wojcik, V., Patch, H.M., and C.M. Grozinger. “More than meets the eye: The role of ornamental plants in supporting pollinators” Environmental Entomology 49(1) 178-188 (2020).
Russo, L, Vaudo, A.D., Fisher, C.J., Grozinger, C.M., and K. Shea. “Bee community preference for an invasive thistle associated with higher pollen protein content” Oecologia 190(4): 901-912 (2019)
Vaudo, A.D., Farrell, L.M., Patch, H.M., Grozinger, C.M. and J.F. Tooker. “Consistent pollen nutritional intake drives bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) colony growth and reproduction across different habitats” Ecology and Evolution 8 (11), 5765-5776 (2018).
Mu, J., Wu, Q., Yang, Y., Huang, M. and C. M. Grozinger. “Plant reproductive strategies vary under low and high pollinator densities” Oikos 127: 1081-1094, 10.1111/oik.04711 (2018).
Vaudo, A.D., Stabler D., Patch, H.M., Tooker, J.F., Grozinger, C.M., Wright, G.A. "Bumble bees regulate their intake of the essential protein and lipid pollen macronutrients" Journal of Experimental Biology 219: 3962-3970 (2016).
Vaudo, A.D., Patch, H.M., Mortensen, D.A., Tooker, J.F., and C.M. Grozinger. "Macronutrient ratios in pollen shape bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) foraging strategies and floral preferences." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113(28): E4035–E4042 (2016).
Vaudo, A. D, Tooker, J.F., Grozinger, C.M. and H.M. Patch. "Bee nutrition and floral resource restoration." Current Opinion in Insect Science 10:133-141 (2015).
Cardoza, Y.J., Harris, G.K. and C.M. Grozinger. “Effects of soil quality enhancement on pollinator-plant interactions” Psyche 2012: 581458, 8p (2012). doi:10.1155/2012/581458