Native solitary bee reproductive success depends on early season precipitation and host plant richness.

Spring-emerging bees depend upon the synchronized bloom times of angiosperms that provide pollen and nectar for offspring. The emergence of such bees and bloom times are linked to weather but can be phenologically mismatched, which could limit bee developmental success. However, it remains unclear how such phenologically asynchrony could affect spring-emerging pollinators, and especially for those that forage over a relatively short time period.

Bacterial and Fungal Symbionts in Pollen Provisions of a Native Solitary Bee in Urban and Rural Environments.

Among insects, symbionts such as bacteria and fungi can be linked to their physiology and immature development, and in some cases are part of a defense system against parasites and diseases. Current bacterial and fungal symbiont associations in solitary bees are understudied, especially in the Pacific Northwest region of the USA. We collected pollen provisions from the native spring-foraging solitary bee, Osmia lignaria Say, across two distinct foraging periods over 2 years at 22 sites along an urban-to-rural gradient in western Washington.

Comparison of Pollen Grain Treatments Without Mechanical Fracturation Prior to Protein Quantification.

Protein and amino acids in pollen are important nutritional components for larval development in several insect species, especially in Apoidea. The Bradford assay is a widely used method to measure relative protein content of pollen, which can shed light on pollen quality and consequences to fitness. Prior to using the Bradford assay, protein must be released from pollen grains, often using a mixture of chemical and mechanical fracturation methods.