Polylecty

Polylecty refers to the phenomenon where a single bee species collects pollen from a wide variety of plant species. This is in contrast to oligolecty, where a bee species specializes in collecting pollen from only one or a few closely related plant species, and to mesolecly, where bees collect pollen from a moderate number of unrelated plant species.

Polylectic bees are often generalist foragers and play an important role in pollination across a broad spectrum of plant life within their habitat. Their diet is less constrained than oligolectic bees, making them potentially more resilient to changes in plant availability in a given environment. The degree of polylecty can vary among bee species and even within a species depending on factors like geographic location and season. However, the defining characteristic remains the collection of pollen from a diverse array of plant taxa.