Data from: Microbial metabolites elicit distinct olfactory and gustatory preferences in bumble bees

Animals such as bumble bees use chemosensory cues to both locate and
evaluate essential resources. Increasingly, it is recognized that microbes
can alter the quality of foraged resources and produce metabolites that
may act as foraging cues. The distinct nature of these chemosensory cues
however and their use in animal foraging remain poorly understood. Here,
we test the hypothesis that species of nectar-inhabiting microbes
differentially influence pollinator attraction and feeding via microbial
metabolites produced in nectar. We first examined the electrophysiological
potential for bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) antennal olfactory neurons to
respond to microbial volatile organic compounds (mVOCs), followed by an
olfactory preference test. We also assessed gustatory preferences for
microbial-altered nectar through both no-choice and choice feeding assays.
Antennal olfactory neurons responded to some mVOCs, and bees preferred
nectar solutions inoculated with the bacterium Asaia astibles over the
yeast Metschnikowia reukaufii based on volatiles alone. However, B.
impatiens foragers consumed significantly more Metschnikowia-inoculated
nectar, suggesting distinct roles for mVOCs and non-volatile metabolites
in mediating both attraction and feeding decisions. Collectively, our
results suggest that microbial metabolites have significant potential to
shape interspecific, plant-pollinator signaling, with consequences for
forager learning, economics and floral host reproduction.