2023 Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Location

ScholarSpace, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa

Presentation Type

Open Access Poster Presentation

Document Type

poster

Abstract

It is commonly believed by bee biologists that wild bees visit one single flower species during each trip to make nest provision. However, the exact foraging behavior is not clear and may vary in different species of bees, and therefore the pollination patterns have continued to be studied. When a bee undergoes the process of pollination, the majority of the pollen consumed by the bee passes through the digestive tract and remains undigested. However, when the pollen is digested and used as an energy source, the pollen grain digestion occurs in the midgut intestine within the bee instead of the anterior or posterior intestine for food absorption [1]. In this study, we look at the pollination behavior of Halictus ligatus bees, by analyzing the pollen found within the gut and atop the leg, and comparing them to the pollen grain of the source flower where the bee was collected.

Start Date

28-7-2023 11:00 AM

End Date

28-7-2023 1:30 PM

Event Host

Summer Undergraduate Research Program, University of Northern Iowa

Faculty Advisor

Ai Wen

Department

Department of Biology

Comments

High school participant in UNI's Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP).

File Format

application/pdf

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Jul 28th, 11:00 AM Jul 28th, 1:30 PM

Comparison of Gut and Leg Pollen Composition in female Halictus ligatus with Flower Source

ScholarSpace, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa

It is commonly believed by bee biologists that wild bees visit one single flower species during each trip to make nest provision. However, the exact foraging behavior is not clear and may vary in different species of bees, and therefore the pollination patterns have continued to be studied. When a bee undergoes the process of pollination, the majority of the pollen consumed by the bee passes through the digestive tract and remains undigested. However, when the pollen is digested and used as an energy source, the pollen grain digestion occurs in the midgut intestine within the bee instead of the anterior or posterior intestine for food absorption [1]. In this study, we look at the pollination behavior of Halictus ligatus bees, by analyzing the pollen found within the gut and atop the leg, and comparing them to the pollen grain of the source flower where the bee was collected.