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Pollen nutritional content and digestibility for animals

  • Chapter
Pollen and Pollination

Abstract

This paper reviews the literature concerning digestion and nutrient content of pollen. Four topics are addressed in detail: 1) The mechanism of pollen digestion by animals; 2) The efficiency of mechanical and digestive removal of pollen content by various animals; 3) Range and taxonomic distribution of pollen nutrients, and 4) Adaptive hypotheses proposed to associate pollen chemistry with pollinator reward. Studies on the mechanism(s) of pollen digestion remain inconclusive, but suggest that differences in digestibility among pollen types may reflect differences in pollen wall porosity, thickness, and composition. Although hummingbirds reportedly digest pollen very poorly, most animals studied, including those that do not regularly consume pollen, can digest 50–100% of ingested grains. Overlooked and recent research of pollen protein content shows that pollen grains may contain over 60% protein, double the amount cited in some studies of pollen-feeding animals. Adaptive hypotheses that associate pollen starch and pollen caloric content with pollinator reward remain unsubstantiated when critically viewed through the lens of phylogeny.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27695-7613, USA

    T’ai H. Roulston

  2. USDA-ARS Bee Biology and Systematics Lab., Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA

    James H. Cane

Authors
  1. T’ai H. Roulston
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  2. James H. Cane
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Pollination Ecology, Institute of Evolution, Haifa University, Haifa, Israel

    Amots Dafni

  2. Institut für Botanik und Botanischer Garten, Universität Wien, Wien, Austria

    Michael Hesse

  3. Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università degli Studi di Siena, Siena, Italy

    Ettore Pacini

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© 2000 Springer-Verlag Wien

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Roulston, T.H., Cane, J.H. (2000). Pollen nutritional content and digestibility for animals. In: Dafni, A., Hesse, M., Pacini, E. (eds) Pollen and Pollination. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-6306-1_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-6306-1_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Vienna

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-7091-7248-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-7091-6306-1

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