Estimating resource preferences of a native bumblebee: the effects of availability and use-availability models on preference estimatess

Identifying resource preference is considered essential for developing targeted conservation plans but, for many species, questions remain about the best way to estimate preference. Resource preferences for bees are particularly difficult to determine as the resources they collect, nectar and pollen, are challenging to estimate availability and collection. Resources are traditionally measured at the flower or inflorescence level, but these measures of availability do not correspond to the resources actually used by bees. Additionally, it is unclear as to whether common models including availability are appropriate for bees which may target resources regardless of available quantities. Here we first compare two common hypotheses of resource use – the ‘random use hypothesis’ and the ‘linear preferences hypothesis’ – using three different measures of availability (pollen, flower and inflorescence) – to determine if one measure of availability was better for understanding bee pollen use. Ne...