Urban bumblebees diversify their foraging strategy to maintain nutrient intake

Anthropogenic ecosystems can alter individual functions and ecological processes such as resource use and species interactions. While variability on morphological traits involved in diet and resource use has been observed between urban and non-urban populations of pollinators, the consequences on the dietary and pollen transportation patterns remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate the variability in the diet breadth of rural and urban individuals of two bumblebee species and the consequences for nutrient intake and pollen transportation. We show that urban bumblebees exhibit a broader diet breadth than their rural counterparts, driven by the enhanced floral diversity in cities. However, we found that the nutrient intake remained similar across urban and rural ecosystems. Finally, we found distinct pollen transportation between urban and rural individuals. Our findings highlight the importance of considering complementary facets of species’ diet and interactions when assessing the effects of anthropogenic ecosystems.