| Title | Honey bee foraging ecology: Season but not landscape diversity shapes the amount and diversity of collected pollen |
| Study Type | Other |
| Abstract |
The availability of pollen in agricultural landscapes is essential for the successful growth and reproduction of honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera L.). The quantity and diversity of collected pollen can influence the growth and health of honey bee colonies, but little is known about the influence o .. [more]f landscape structure on pollen diet. In a field experiment we rotated 16 honey bee colonies across 16 agricultural landscapes, used traps to get samples of collected pollen and observed the intra-colonial dance communication to gain information about foraging distances. DNA metabarcoding was applied to analyze mixed pollen samples. Neither the amount of collected pollen nor pollen diversity were related to landscape diversity. However, we found a strong seasonal variation in the amount and diversity of collected pollen in all sites independent of landscape diversity. The revealed increase of foraging distances with decreasing landscape diversity suggests that honey bees compensated for lower landscape diversity by increasing their pollen foraging range on order to maintain pollen amount and diversity. Our results underline the importance of a diverse pollen diet for honey bee colonies. Agri-environmental schemes aiming to support pollinators should focus on possible spatial and temporal gaps inpollen availability and diversity in agricultural landscapes. [less]
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| Description |
The availability of pollen in agricultural landscapes is essential for the successful growth and reproduction of honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera L.). The quantity and diversity of collected pollen can influence the growth and health of honey bee colonies, but little is known about the influence o .. [more]f landscape structure on pollen diet. In a field experiment we rotated 16 honey bee colonies across 16 agricultural landscapes, used traps to get samples of collected pollen and observed the intra-colonial dance communication to gain information about foraging distances. DNA metabarcoding was applied to analyze mixed pollen samples. Neither the amount of collected pollen nor pollen diversity were related to landscape diversity. However, we found a strong seasonal variation in the amount and diversity of collected pollen in all sites independent of landscape diversity. The revealed increase of foraging distances with decreasing landscape diversity suggests that honey bees compensated for lower landscape diversity by increasing their pollen foraging range on order to maintain pollen amount and diversity. Our results underline the importance of a diverse pollen diet for honey bee colonies. Agri-environmental schemes aiming to support pollinators should focus on possible spatial and temporal gaps inpollen availability and diversity in agricultural landscapes. [less]
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| Center Name | The University of Wurzburg |
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