Nutritional responses of bumblebees to thermal stress

2026 · doi:10.64898/2026.03.09.710642
preprint OA: closed
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This study examined how thermal stress affects bumblebees’ nutritional choices and performance, using a 3D nutritional geometry framework to assess balancing of carbohydrate, protein, and lipid intake at 30°C (optimal), 20°C (cold stress), and 35°C (heat stress). At 30°C, bees balanced nutrients at levels associated with beneficial body weight and survival, whereas at 20°C they reduced total nutrient collection and shifted proportionally toward carbohydrates to prioritize survival over weight gain; at 35°C, nutrient balancing was disrupted and survival decreased. Across temperatures, lipid collection remained stable, with flexible adjustments in carbohydrates and proteins indicating strong constraints on lipid regulation. The paper does not explicitly discuss endometriosis or adenomyosis; it was included in the corpus via a keyword match in the upstream search index.

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Abstract

Summary Extreme climatic events impose considerable stress on organisms with consequences for key ecological interactions such as pollination. Because temperature directly affects metabolic processes, heat variations may also importantly influence the nutritional needs and feeding choices of animals. Here, we studied the effects of thermal stress on the nutritional choices and performances of bumblebees, using a 3D nutritional geometry design. At optimal temperature for colony development (30°C), bees successfully balanced carbohydrate, protein, and lipid collection, at levels beneficial for body weight and survival. Under cold stress (20°C), bees reduced their overall nutrient collection while selecting proportionally more carbohydrates, thereby prioritizing survival over weight gain. Under heat stress (35°C), nutrient balancing was disrupted and survival dropped. Notably however, across all temperatures, bees maintained stable lipid collection while flexibly adjusting the amount of carbohydrates and proteins, suggesting strong constraints on lipid regulation. Given the pivotal role of bees for pollination, identifying how their nutritional needs change in response to climatic conditions is of prior importance for food safety and the conservation of terrestrial ecosystems.
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Summary Extreme climatic events impose considerable stress on organisms with consequences for key ecological interactions such as pollination. Because temperature directly affects metabolic processes, heat variations may also importantly influence the nutritional needs and feeding choices of animals. Here, we studied the effects of thermal stress on the nutritional choices and performances of bumblebees, using a 3D nutritional geometry design. At optimal temperature for colony development (30°C), bees successfully balanced carbohydrate, protein, and lipid collection, at levels beneficial for body weight and survival. Under cold stress (20°C), bees reduced their overall nutrient collection while selecting proportionally more carbohydrates, thereby prioritizing survival over weight gain. Under heat stress (35°C), nutrient balancing was disrupted and survival dropped. Notably however, across all temperatures, bees maintained stable lipid collection while flexibly adjusting the amount of carbohydrates and proteins, suggesting strong constraints on lipid regulation. Given the pivotal role of bees for pollination, identifying how their nutritional needs change in response to climatic conditions is of prior importance for food safety and the conservation of terrestrial ecosystems. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Footnotes Coline Monchanin: coline.monchanin{at}utoulouse.fr Jean-Marc Devaud: jean-marc.devaud{at}utoulouse.fr Juliano Morimoto: juliano.morimoto{at}abdn.ac.uk

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