Fatty Acids as a Potential Foraging Cue in Bumblebee Pollen Detection
type: CreativeWork
description: Bee populations, both wild and commercially supplied, are on the decline. A diminishing availability of required nutritional components may be a major contributing factor. Understanding how bees are able to both detect and remember the locations of these dietary macromolecules will be a valuable contribution to sustainability efforts worldwide. To learn more about how bees detect and assess necessary pollen fats, I explored the potential of bees to form associations between these nutrients and visual stimuli. I found strong evidence that bees can detect pollen based fatty acids and that the presence of these compounds increases bee learning and perhaps memory. Additionally, I found evidence suggesting that fatty acid consumption may increase bee longevity. My research suggests that pollen fats are a chemical attractant potentially important to pollinator species.
abstract: Bee populations, both wild and commercially supplied, are on the decline. A diminishing availability of required nutritional components may be a major contributing factor. Understanding how bees are able to both detect and remember the locations of these dietary macromolecules will be a valuable contribution to sustainability efforts worldwide. To learn more about how bees detect and assess necessary pollen fats, I explored the potential of bees to form associations between these nutrients and visual stimuli. I found strong evidence that bees can detect pollen based fatty acids and that the presence of these compounds increases bee learning and perhaps memory. Additionally, I found evidence suggesting that fatty acid consumption may increase bee longevity. My research suggests that pollen fats are a chemical attractant potentially important to pollinator species.
author: Breslow, Phillip R.
language: en_US
language: English
date published: 2015
date modified: 2026-07-27T21:47:03Z
provider: University of Nevada - Reno
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Nevada, Reno

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11714/540