Honey Bee Nutritional Health in Agricultural Landscapes: Relationships to Pollen and Habitat Diversity
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Honey bee nutritional health in agricultural landscapes: Relationships to pollen and habitat diversity by Ge Zhang A dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Major: Entomology Program of Study Committee: Matthew O’Neal, Co-major Professor Amy Toth, Co-major Professor Joel Coats Russell Jurenka Matthew Liebman The student author and the program of study committee are solely responsible for the content of this dissertation. The Graduate College will ensure this dissertation is globally accessible and will not permit alterations after a degree is conferred. Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2020 Copyright © Ge Zhang, 2020. All rights reserved. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................................. v ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. vii CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 1 Literature review ........................................................................................................................ 1 Dissertation Objectives ............................................................................................................ 13 Dissertation Organization ........................................................................................................ 14 References Cited ...................................................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER 2. HONEY BEE ( APIS MELLIFERA , HYMENOPTERA: APIDAE) POLLEN FORAGE IN A HIGHLY CULTIVATED AGROECOSYSTEM: LIMITED DIET DIVERSITY AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO VIRUS RESISTANCE....................................... 28 Authors’ contributions ............................................................................................................. 28 Abstract .................................................................................................................................... 28 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 29 Materials and Methods ............................................................................................................ 32 Measuring the impact of land use on the diversity and abundance of pollen collected by honey bees ..................................................................................................................... 32 Measuring the effect of variation in pollen diet on honey bee immune-health .................. 36 Results ..................................................................................................................................... 39 Pollen abundance in apiaries within differing landscapes.................................................. 39 Diversity of plant species used for pollen .......................................................................... 40 Phenology of pollen............................................................................................................ 41 Variation in pollen diets affects honey bee immune-health ............................................... 42 Discussion ................................................................................................................................ 42 Equal abundance and diversity of pollen collection between two landscape categories ... 42 Phenology of pollen availability......................................................................................... 44 Enhanced resistance to viral infection: a potential benefit from a diet of two pollen sources ................................................................................................................................ 45 Value of legumes for honey bee pollen .............................................................................. 46 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................. 49 References cited ....................................................................................................................... 49 Tables and Figures ................................................................................................................... 54 Supplementary Tables and Figures .......................................................................................... 65 CHAPTER 3. VARIATION IN ANNUAL WEATHER, RATHER THAN LAND USE, AFFECTS HONEY BEE POLLEN COLLECTION IN AN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE 71 Abstract .................................................................................................................................... 71 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 72 Materials and Methods ............................................................................................................ 76 Sites and honey bee colonies .............................................................................................. 76 Pollen collection and identification .................................................................................... 77 iii Temperature and rainfall .................................................................................................... 78 Statistical analysis .............................................................................................................. 80 Results ..................................................................................................................................... 81 No variation in pollen collected by land use type .............................................................. 81 Variation in pollen collected by year ................................................................................. 82 Relationship of pollen with temperature and rainfall ......................................................... 84 Discussion ................................................................................................................................ 85 Pollen collected by bees did not vary with land use ........................................................... 85 Bee-collected pollen differed among years and was related to extreme weather .............. 86 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................. 90 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................. 90 References Cited ...................................................................................................................... 91 Tables and Figures ................................................................................................................... 95 Supplementary Tables and Figures ........................................................................................ 108 CHAPTER 4. NORTH AMERICAN PRAIRIE IS A SOURCE OF POLLEN FOR MANAGED HONEY BEES ...................................................................................................... 115 Abstract .................................................................................................................................. 115 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 116 Materials and Methods .......................................................................................................... 117 Prairies and land cover of surrounding landscapes .......................................................... 117 Honey bee apiaries ........................................................................................................... 119 Pollen collection and identification .................................................................................. 120 Statistical analysis ............................................................................................................ 121 Results ................................................................................................................................... 123 Pollen diversity ................................................................................................................. 123 Pollen abundance .............................................................................................................. 124 Land cover and its relationship to collection of pollen from native and nonnative plants ................................................................................................................................ 125 Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 126 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... 130 References Cited .................................................................................................................... 131 Tables and Figures ................................................................................................................. 135 Supplementary Tables and Figures .......................................................................................