University of California Riverside, California, United States
Bumble bees are crucial pollinators in both agricultural and wild ecosystems, and as pollinators they rely on floral resources as a source of food. However, in many areas there has been a decrease in floral diversity and abundance, which in turn has caused nutritional stress for wild pollinators. As a result, bumble bees are experiencing population declines. Due to the growing recognition of the importance of floral diversity for sustaining wild pollinator populations, scientists are beginning to research the nutritional needs of wild bumble bees. However, there has yet to be any research attempting to quantify the mass of pollen available at the landscape-scale. I aim to address this knowledge gap by looking into the variation of pollen mass per flower across species, habitat types, and time. This research will help us understand which species produce more pollen per flower, the mass of pollen available in each habitat, and the phenology of pollen mass in the landscape. This research will complement the growing body of research into the macronutrient content of pollen by providing an estimate of pollen quantity available to foraging bumble bees.
