Research

In the Rocky Mountains of CO, USA, late spring frost events may drastically reduce the number of flowers available to pollinators, yet we do not know how plant-pollinator interactions respond to such events. We addressed this issue by experimentally removing an abundant floral resource from a subalpine meadow and are exploring the subsequent effects on plant-pollinator interactions.

PUBLICATION

https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4154 

Food is essential for the survival, growth, and reproduction of virtually all organisms, and, consequently, is one of the major drivers of species interactions. Despite the importance of food for organisms, we still know little about how specific nutrients influence foraging interactions among organisms.  Food is composed of macronutrients (protein, lipid, and carbs) that provide energy and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) that are critical for the health of animals. 

Native bees rely exclusively on nutrition derived from flowering plants in the form of pollen and nectar, but we know little about how the nutritional content of pollen and nectar varies among flowering plant species and almost nothing about the specific nutritional preferences of most wild bee species. To address these knowledge gaps, I am conducting (i) multiple years of bee-flower interaction observations and (ii) macronutrient analyses of nectar and pollen collected from bee-visited plants.   

By understanding the nutritional content of floral resources available to pollinators and the floral resources that wild bees are collecting, my research will provide valuable information for supporting pollinator health which may help mitigate pollinator declines.