Laboratory of Conservation Ecology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennoudai, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan.
Laboratory of Biodiversity Science, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan.
Naturwissenschaften. 2023 Jul 19;110(4):37. doi: 10.1007/s00114-023-01864-7.
Intraspecific variation in foraging behaviour is related to the floral resource requirements and foraging experiences of social bees. These behavioural changes influence their pollination efficiency. However, the extent of such behavioural changes in solitary bees, which constitute the majority of bee species, remains largely unknown. As pollen contains essential nutrients for ovarian and offspring development, a relationship between the resource requirements of female bees and their ovarian development is expected. Additionally, wing damage could reflect foraging experiences, as the wings are damaged during foraging. Here, we aimed to clarify the relationships between ovarian development, wing damage, foraging behaviours, and pollination efficiency in female long-horned bees (Eucera nipponensis and Eucera spurcatipes) visiting red clovers. The bee handling times were recorded. Wing damage and pollen load on the hind legs were confirmed and the number of pollen grains on bee's bodies was counted. We then dissected the bees and recorded the presence or absence of nectar and pollen in the digestive tubes, as well as the mature egg number. The mature egg number positively correlated with nectar feeding and pollen collection, whereas handling time decreased with wing damage. Bees with pollen loads on their legs attach more pollen grains to their bodies. Therefore, solitary bees flexibly change their foraging behaviour based on resource requirements and foraging experiences, and these behavioural changes can influence pollination efficiency. The asynchrony of foraging behaviours and pollination efficiency within a bee population may provide stable pollination for flowering plants throughout the season.
种内觅食行为的变化与社会性蜜蜂的花卉资源需求和觅食经验有关。这些行为变化会影响它们的传粉效率。然而，在构成大多数蜜蜂物种的独居蜜蜂中，这种行为变化的程度在很大程度上仍然未知。由于花粉中含有卵巢和后代发育所必需的营养物质，因此预计雌性蜜蜂的资源需求与其卵巢发育之间存在关系。此外，翅膀损伤可以反映觅食经验，因为在觅食过程中翅膀会受损。在这里，我们旨在阐明雌性长角蜂（Eucera nipponensis 和 Eucera spurcatipes）在访问红三叶草时卵巢发育、翅膀损伤、觅食行为和传粉效率之间的关系。记录了蜜蜂的处理时间。确认了后腿上的翅膀损伤和花粉负荷，并计算了蜜蜂身上的花粉粒数。然后我们对蜜蜂进行解剖，记录消化道中是否存在花蜜和花粉，以及成熟卵的数量。成熟卵的数量与花蜜摄取和花粉收集呈正相关，而处理时间随翅膀损伤而减少。腿部有花粉负荷的蜜蜂会将更多的花粉粒附着在身上。因此，独居蜜蜂会根据资源需求和觅食经验灵活改变觅食行为，这些行为变化会影响传粉效率。一个蜂群中觅食行为和传粉效率的不同步可能会为整个季节的开花植物提供稳定的传粉。
