Conditions experienced early in development can affect the future performance of individuals and populations. Demographic theories predict persistent population impacts of past resources, but few studies have experimentally tested such carry-over effects across generations or cohorts. We used bumble bees to test whether resource timing had persistent effects on within-colony dynamics over sequential cohorts of workers. We simulated a resource pulse for field colonies either early or late in their development and estimated colony growth rates during pulse- and non-pulse periods. During periods when resources were not supplemented, early-pulse colonies grew faster than late-pulse colonies; early-pulse colonies grew larger as a result. These results revealed persistent effects of past resources on current growth and support the importance of transient dynamics in natural ecological systems. Early-pulse colonies also produced more queen offspring, highlighting the critical nature of resource timing for the population, as well as colony, dynamics of a key pollinator.

中文翻译：

---

早期资源为大黄蜂群动态带来持续的好处

在发育早期经历的条件会影响个人和群体的未来表现。人口学理论预测过去资源对人口的持续影响，但很少有研究通过实验测试这种跨代或跨群体的遗留效应。我们使用大黄蜂来测试资源时间是否对连续的工人群体的群体内动态产生持续影响。我们模拟了田间菌落发育早期或晚期的资源脉冲，并估计了脉冲和非脉冲期间的菌落生长速率。在资源未得到补充的时期，早脉冲菌落比晚脉冲菌落生长快；结果，早期脉冲菌落变大了。这些结果揭示了过去资源对当前增长的持续影响，并支持瞬态动态在自然生态系统中的重要性。早期脉冲群落也产生了更多的女王后代，突出了种群资源时间的关键性质，以及关键传粉媒介的群落动态。