Pollinator dietary analysis

Declining pollinator populations in the United States are attributed to multiple stressors, including the loss of quality forage. Habitat management in agricultural areas often targets honey bees specifically, with the assumption that native bees will benefit from an “umbrella species” strategy. We tested this theory using a conservation physiology approach to compare the effects of landscape composition and floral dietary composition on the physiological status of honey bees and Melissodes desponsa within a highly developed agricultural area in eastern South Dakota. We tested the hypothesis that a more diverse agricultural landscape and access to more diverse forage resources would contribute to a greater overall macronutrient status in these pollinators. By comparing the physiological status of a managed and native bee coexisting in the same region, we aim to translate these results into proactive management strategies for a region identified as important for pollinator conservation.美国境内传粉昆虫种群数量下降由多重胁迫因素导致，其中包括优质蜜粉源资源的丧失。农业区域的生境管护通常以蜜蜂（honey bees）为特定目标，其背后假设为本土蜂类将从"伞护种（umbrella species）"策略中获益。本研究采用保护生理学（conservation physiology）方法验证该理论，在南达科他州东部一处高度开发的农业区域内，比较景观组成与蜜粉源饮食组成对蜜蜂及长角蜂*Melissodes desponsa*生理状态的影响。我们提出的假说为：更为多样的农业景观与更丰富的蜜粉源资源获取途径，可提升这两类传粉昆虫的整体宏量营养素状态。通过比较同一区域内共存的人工饲养蜂类与本土蜂类的生理状态，本研究旨在将研究结果转化为针对已被认定为传粉保护重要区域的主动管护策略。