MICROBES INHABITING FLORAL NECTAR HAVE GARNERED ATTENTION DUE TO THEIR POTENTIAL TO ALTER INTERACTIONS BETWEEN BEES AND FLOWERS, AND THUS INFLUENCE POLLINATION. THESE BACTERIA AND YEASTS, JUST LIKE MACROORGANISMS, CAN BE SUBJECTED TO NON-TARGET IMPACTS OF AGRICULTURAL PESTICIDES, POTENTIALLY AFFECTING BEE BEHAVIOR AND CROP POLLINATION. NEONICOTINOIDS ARE THE MOST WIDELY USED CLASS OF INSECTICIDES WORLDWIDE AND CAN ALTER CERTAIN MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES, YET WE KNOW NOTHING OF HOW THEY IMPACT NECTAR MICROBES. FURTHERMORE, IRRIGATION (I.E., PLANT WATER AVAILABILITY) INFLUENCES NEONICOTINOID TRANSLOCATION THROUGH PLANT TISSUES AND NECTAR PROPERTIES, YET THE IMPACTS OF THIS AGRICULTURAL PRACTICE ON NECTAR MICROBES ALSO REMAIN UNSTUDIED. IN THIS POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH PROJECT, I WILL INVESTIGATE HOW NEONICOTINOIDS AND PLANT WATER AVAILABILITY INTERACT TO AFFECT NECTAR MICROBES AND ULTIMATELY POLLINATION. SPECIFICALLY, I WILL TEST (1) HOW NEONICOTINOIDS AFFECT THE TAXONOMIC COMPOSITION OF NECTAR MICROBES IN PLANTS GROWN UNDER DIFFERING WATERING REGIMES; (2) HOW THESE ALTERED MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES AFFECT NECTAR CONSUMPTION BY SOLITARY BEES; AND (3) HOW THIS TRANSLATES TO POLLINATION AND SEED SET UNDER SEMI-FIELD CONDITIONS. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE COMMONPLACE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES MAY INFLUENCE POLLINATION VIA THE FLORAL MICROBIOME, IN HOPES OF FURTHER INTEGRATING SUSTAINABLE PEST AND POLLINATOR MANAGEMENT IN NORTH AMERICAN AGRICULTURE. THIS PROJECT ALIGNS WITH AFRI FARM BILL PRIORITY AREA "PLANT HEALTH, PRODUCTION, AND PLANT PRODUCTS" AND WILL BE COMPLETED UNDER THE MENTORSHIP OF RACHEL VANNETTE (UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS). THIS PROJECT ALIGNS WITH THE AFRI EWD PROGRAM BY PREPARING ME VIA INTERACTIVE MENTORING, SCIENTIFIC TRAINING, CAREER DEVELOPMENT, AND SELF-EVALUATION.