POLLINATORS ARE VITAL TO GLOBAL FOOD PRODUCTION AND ARE AFFECTED BY AGRICULTURAL INPUTS. FERTILIZER IS ONE INPUT OFTEN ADDED TO PROMOTE CROP YIELD. THERE IS EVIDENCE OF GLOBAL POLLINATOR DECLINE, SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW NUTRIENT ADDITION (FERTILIZER) IS ALTERING PLANT TRAITS AND AFFECTING POLLINATOR HEALTH. MANY FERTILIZERS INCREASE THE ABUNDANCE OF INSECT HERBIVORES. THIS IN TURN REDUCES GLOBAL CROP QUANTITY AND QUALITY AND CAN REDUCE PLANT ATTRACTIVENESS TO POLLINATORS. UNDERSTANDING WHICH FERTILIZERS INCREASE POLLINATION WITHOUT INCREASING HERBIVORY IS CRITICAL TO CREATE POSITIVE LONG-TERM OUTCOMES FOR BOTH PLANT YIELD AND POLLINATOR HEALTH. THE PROPOSED PROJECT AIMS TO FILL THE KNOWLEDGE GAPS SURROUNDING HOW NUTRIENT ADDITION AFFECTS POLLINATOR HEALTH USING TARGETED FIELD AND LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS WITH CUCUMBERS. CUCUMBERS ARE A WIDELY CULTIVATED AND ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT CROP WHICH REQUIRE POLLINATION TO PRODUCE FRUIT. THIS PROJECT HAS THREE OBJECTIVES: (1) EXAMINEHOW NUTRIENT ADDITION AFFECTS PLANT TRAITS RELEVANT TO POLLINATORS AND SUBSEQUENT POLLINATOR VISITATION RATE AND PLANT YIELD; (2) ASSESS HOW NUTRIENT ADDITION INDIRECTLY AFFECTS POLLINATION OUTCOMES VIA ALTERED HERBIVORY AND/OR NATURAL ENEMY ABUNDANCE; (3) EXAMINE HOW NUTRIENT ADDITION AFFECTS POLLINATOR HEALTH VIA ALTERED NECTAR. TO ADDRESS OBJECTIVES 1 AND 2, I WILL USE A FIELD EXPERIMENT CROSSING FOUR NUTRIENT TREATMENTS WITH TWO HERBIVORY TREATMENTS. I WILL EXAMINE HOW PLANT TRAITS, HERBIVORY, AND NATURAL ENEMY ABUNDANCE AFFECT POLLINATOR VISITATION RATE, POLLINATOR SPECIES COMPOSITION, AND PLANT YIELD. TO ADDRESS OBJECTIVE 3, I WILL CONDUCT A LABORATORY EXPERIMENT WITH BUMBLE BEE MICROCOLONIES TO TEST HOW NECTAR PRODUCED FROM THE FIELD EXPERIMENT AFFECTS BUMBLE BEE HEALTH.ADDRESSING THE CONSEQUENCES OF NUTRIENT ADDITION IN TANDEM WITH POLLINATION OUTCOMES IS AN IMPORTANT YET INFREQUENTLY TAKEN STEP IN CREATING SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE. IF WE FAIL TO UNDERSTAND HOW DIFFERENT FERTILIZERS INDIRECTLY AFFECT POLLINATORS VIA ALTERED PLANT TRAITS AND HERBIVORE INTERACTIONS, WE COULD SEE FURTHER POLLINATOR DECLINES AND HARM TO CROP SECTORS DEPENDENT ON POLLINATION. KNOWLEDGE GAINED FROM THIS PROJECT WILL HELP FARMERS IN SEVERAL WAYS. UNDERSTANDING WHICH FERTILIZER TYPES INCREASE CROP OUTPUT WHILE MINIMIZING HERBIVORY WILL REDUCE PESTICIDE USAGE. TARGETED APPLICATION OF THE CORRECT NUTRIENTS COULD DECREASE FERTILIZER USAGE, REDUCING COSTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF EXCESS NUTRIENT RUN-OFF. FINALLY, RESULTS FROM THIS PROJECT COULD ENHANCE POLLINATION SERVICES AND POLLINATOR HEALTH ACROSS CROP SECTORS REQUIRING POLLINATION. REDUCING PESTICIDE AND FERTILIZER USE WHILE IMPROVING POLLINATOR HEALTH WOULD CREATE MORE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE.