Trace metals in nectar of important urban pollinator forage plants: A direct exposure risk to pollinators and nectar-feeding animals in cities

Pollinators are exposed to metals while foraging in the landscape and accumulate detectable concentrations of trace metals within their bodies, although major exposure routes remain unclear. As nectar is the main source of food for pollinators, we analyzed trace metal content within floral rewards to identify if nectar contained detectable metals and may serve as an oral exposure route. Nectar from flowering plant species growing within vacant lots in the city of Cleveland, OH, USA, was extracted using a centrifuge and tested for metals using ICP-MS. We collected volunteer flower species that are common pollinator forage plants. Nectar metal content varied by plant and metal species, but not by location. This work demonstrates the complexity of identifying metal exposure risk based on soil metal data alone, as oral metal exposure is dependent on plant species, metal species, and soil characteristics.
, , , # Data from: Trace metals in nectar of important urban pollinator forage plants:  A direct exposure risk to pollinators and nectar-feeding animals in cities

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.rbnzs7hnj](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.rbnzs7hnj)

## Description of the data and file structure

Flower samples were collected from vacant lots in Cleveland, OH, USA, in June 2022. Flower heads were removed from the stem of the plant and transported to the Gardner laboratory in Columbus, OH, USA, on ice. Nectar and sap were extracted via centrifuge at 7000 RPM for 2 minutes. Metal analysis of the resulting liquid was conducted in the Trace Elemental Research Laboratory on the Ohio State Campus, Columbus, OH, USA, using Inductively Coupled Plasma- Mass Spectroscopy.

Data were created from a Perkin Elmer Sciex Elan DRCii Inductively Coupled Mass Spectroscopy machine. Any measured values below the detection limit (<DL) were changed to 0 in the dataset prior to analysis.

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