Sweet Solutions: Nectar Chemistry and Quality

Overview

Journal Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci

Specialty Biology

Date 2022 May 2

PMID 35491604

Authors

Susan W Nicolson

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Nectar, the main floral reward for pollinators, varies greatly in composition and concentration. The assumption that nectar quality is equivalent to its sugar (energy) concentration is too simple. Diverse non-sugar components, especially amino acids and secondary metabolites, play various roles in nutrition and health of pollinators. Many nectar compounds have indirect effects by altering the foraging behaviour of pollinators or protecting them from disease. This review also emphasizes the water component of nectar, often ignored because of evaporative losses and difficulties in sampling small nectar volumes. Nectar properties vary with environmental factors, pollinator visits and microbial contamination. Pollination mutualisms depend on the ability of insect and vertebrate pollinators to cope with and benefit from the variation and diversity in nectar chemistry. This article is part of the theme issue 'Natural processes influencing pollinator health: from chemistry to landscapes'.

Citing Articles

Impact of Nectar Composition and Nectar Yeasts on Volatile Emissions and Parasitoid Behavior.

Sobhy I, Goelen T, Wackers F, Verstrepen K, Wenseleers T, Jacquemyn H J Chem Ecol. 2025; 51(2):29.

PMID: 40047954 PMC: 11885403. DOI: 10.1007/s10886-025-01587-1.

The Role of Phenotypic Plasticity and Within-Environment Trait Variability in the Assembly of the Nectar Microbiome and Plant-Microbe-Animal Interactions.

Quevedo-Caraballo S, Alvarez-Perez S Ecol Evol. 2025; 15(3):e71059.

PMID: 40027422 PMC: 11872219. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.71059.

Exploring Species for Resilience to Drought During the Critical Reproductive Stage.

Jockovic J, Grahovac N, Milovac Z, Jockovic M, Jocic S, Marjanovic Jeromela A Plants (Basel). 2025; 14(4).

PMID: 40006890 PMC: 11859588. DOI: 10.3390/plants14040631.

Identifying mosquito plant hosts from ingested nectar secondary metabolites.

Cooper A, Malmgren L, Hawkes F, Farrell I, Hien D, Hopkins R Sci Rep. 2025; 15(1):6488.

PMID: 39987345 PMC: 11846922. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-88933-1.

An Overview of the Nutritional Requirements of Honey Bees ( Linnaeus, 1758).

Ansaloni L, Kristl J, Domingues C, Gregorc A Insects. 2025; 16(1).

PMID: 39859678 PMC: 11766133. DOI: 10.3390/insects16010097.

References

Nachev V, Stich K, Winter C, Bond A, Kamil A, Winter Y . Cognition-mediated evolution of low-quality floral nectars. Science. 2017; 355(6320):75-78. DOI: 10.1126/science.aah4219. View

Schmitt A, Roy R, Carter C . Nectar antimicrobial compounds and their potential effects on pollinators. Curr Opin Insect Sci. 2021; 44:55-63. DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2021.03.004. View

Ornelas J, Ordano M, De-Nova A, Quintero M, Garland Jr T . Phylogenetic analysis of interspecific variation in nectar of hummingbird-visited plants. J Evol Biol. 2007; 20(5):1904-17. DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2007.01374.x. View

Hernandez I, Palottini F, Macri I, Galmarini C, Farina W . Appetitive behavior of the honey bee in response to phenolic compounds naturally found in nectars. J Exp Biol. 2018; 222(Pt 2). DOI: 10.1242/jeb.189910. View

Vannette R, Fukami T . Nectar microbes can reduce secondary metabolites in nectar and alter effects on nectar consumption by pollinators. Ecology. 2016; 97(6):1410-9. DOI: 10.1890/15-0858.1. View

Morris M, Frixione N, Burkert A, Dinsdale E, Vannette R . Microbial abundance, composition, and function in nectar are shaped by flower visitor identity. FEMS Microbiol Ecol. 2020; 96(3). DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiaa003. View

Rering C, Rudolph A, Beck J . Pollen and yeast change nectar aroma and nutritional content alone and together, but honey bee foraging reflects only the avoidance of yeast. Environ Microbiol. 2021; 23(8):4141-4150. DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15528. View

Peay K, Belisle M, Fukami T . Phylogenetic relatedness predicts priority effects in nectar yeast communities. Proc Biol Sci. 2011; 279(1729):749-58. PMC: 3248732. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.1230. View

Herrera C, Garcia I, Perez R . Invisible floral larcenies: microbial communities degrade floral nectar of bumble bee-pollinated plants. Ecology. 2008; 89(9):2369-76. DOI: 10.1890/08-0241.1. View

10.

Witt T, Jurgens A, Gottsberger G . Nectar sugar composition of European Caryophylloideae (Caryophyllaceae) in relation to flower length, pollination biology and phylogeny. J Evol Biol. 2013; 26(10):2244-59. DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12224. View

11.

Minami A, Kang X, Carter C . A cell wall invertase controls nectar volume and sugar composition. Plant J. 2021; 107(4):1016-1028. DOI: 10.1111/tpj.15357. View

12.

Berenbaum M, Calla B . Honey as a Functional Food for . Annu Rev Entomol. 2020; 66:185-208. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-040320-074933. View

13.

Christensen S, Munkres I, Vannette R . Nectar bacteria stimulate pollen germination and bursting to enhance microbial fitness. Curr Biol. 2021; 31(19):4373-4380.e6. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.07.016. View

14.

Martin V, Schaeffer R, Fukami T . Potential effects of nectar microbes on pollinator health. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2022; 377(1853):20210155. PMC: 9058548. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0155. View

15.

Tiedeken E, Stout J, Stevenson P, Wright G . Bumblebees are not deterred by ecologically relevant concentrations of nectar toxins. J Exp Biol. 2014; 217(Pt 9):1620-5. PMC: 4006588. DOI: 10.1242/jeb.097543. View

16.

Borghi M, de Souza L, Yoshida T, Fernie A . Flowers and climate change: a metabolic perspective. New Phytol. 2019; 224(4):1425-1441. DOI: 10.1111/nph.16031. View

17.

Johnson S, Hargreaves A, Brown M . Dark, bitter-tasting nectar functions as a filter of flower visitors in a bird-pollinated plant. Ecology. 2006; 87(11):2709-16. DOI: 10.1890/0012-9658(2006)87[2709:dbnfaa]2.0.co;2. View

18.

Wright G, Baker D, Palmer M, Stabler D, Mustard J, Power E . Caffeine in floral nectar enhances a pollinator's memory of reward. Science. 2013; 339(6124):1202-4. PMC: 4521368. DOI: 10.1126/science.1228806. View

19.

Hansen D, Olesen J, Mione T, Johnson S, Muller C . Coloured nectar: distribution, ecology, and evolution of an enigmatic floral trait. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2007; 82(1):83-111. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-185X.2006.00005.x. View

20.

Tiedge K, Lohaus G . Nectar sugars and amino acids in day- and night-flowering Nicotiana species are more strongly shaped by pollinators' preferences than organic acids and inorganic ions. PLoS One. 2017; 12(5):e0176865. PMC: 5415175. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176865. View