牛津大学的研究发现，蜜蜂具有一种精妙的适应机制来应对花粉营养成分的不均衡问题。1研究人员对比分析了99种英国花卉植物的花粉与蜜蜂组织的必需氨基酸成分，发现大多数花粉中必需氨基酸的比例与蜜蜂的实际需求不相匹配。1
蜜蜂能够根据食物中必需氨基酸的平衡情况调节进食量。1其中组氨酸可能是控制蜜蜂食欲的关键氨基酸，当花粉中相对组氨酸含量较高时，蜜蜂会减少总体进食量。1为了获得营养均衡的食物供应，蜜蜂采取了更高层次的策略：通过组合不同植物的花粉，并将其加工成蜂蜜和蜂王浆为幼虫提供营养。1研究表明，蜂蜜所含的必需氨基酸谱系比大多数单一花粉更加均衡，而蜂王浆的氨基酸组成与蜜蜂组织的匹配度最高。1这项研究发表在《Current Biology》2026年第36卷第13期。1
Researchers at Oxford University have discovered that honeybees adjust their food intake according to the balance of essential amino acids in their diet, preventing the overconsumption of certain amino acids 1. A study comparing the essential amino acid composition of pollen from 99 British flowering plants with that of bee tissue revealed that most flower pollen does not match the amino acid proportions that bees require 1.
Histidine appears to be the critical amino acid controlling bee appetite; when histidine content is relatively high, bees reduce their overall food intake 1. To overcome this nutritional mismatch, honeybees employ a sophisticated strategy: they combine pollen from different plant species and process these mixtures into honey and royal jelly to provide larvae with nutritionally balanced food 1. Honey contains a more balanced spectrum of essential amino acids than most individual pollens, while royal jelly's amino acid composition shows the closest alignment with bee tissue composition 1.
The findings were published in Current Biology in 2026, Volume 36, Issue 13, with DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2026.05.070 1.
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