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Pollen and yeast change nectar aroma and nutritional content alone and together, but honey bee foraging reflects only the avoidance of yeast
Author(s) -
Rering Caitlin C.,
Rudolph Arthur B.,
Beck John J.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
environmental microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.954
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1462-2920
pISSN - 1462-2912
DOI - 10.1111/1462-2920.15528
Subject(s) - nectar , yeast , pollen , biology , foraging , pollinator , bee pollen , botany , sugar , food science , pollination , ecology , biochemistry
Summary Floral nectar often contains pollen and microorganisms, which may change nectar's chemical composition, and in turn impact pollinator affinity. However, their individual and combined effects remain understudied. Here, we examined the impacts of the nectar specialist yeast, Metschnikowia reukaufii , and the addition of sunflower ( Hellianthus annus ) pollen. Pollen grains remained intact, yet still increased yeast growth and amino acid concentrations in nectar, whereas yeast depleted amino acids. Pollen, but not yeast, changed nectar sugar concentrations by converting sucrose to its monomers. Both pollen and yeast contributed emissions from nectar, though yeast volatiles were more abundant than pollen volatiles. Yeast volatile emission was positively correlated with pollen concentration and cell density, and yeast depleted a subset of pollen‐derived volatiles. Honey bees avoided foraging on yeast‐inoculated nectar and foraged equally among uninoculated nectars regardless of pollen content, underscoring the importance of microbial metabolites in mediating pollinator foraging.