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Webster VL, Hemmings S, Pérez M, Fisher MC, Brown MJF, Farrer RA. Revealing the genome of the microsporidian Vairimorpha bombi, a potential driver of bumble bee declines in North America. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2024; 14:jkae029. [PMID: 38334143 PMCID: PMC10989860 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkae029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2024] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Pollinators are vital for food security and the maintenance of terrestrial ecosystems. Bumblebees are important pollinators across northern temperate, arctic, and alpine ecosystems, yet are in decline across the globe. Vairimorpha bombi is a parasite belonging to the fungal class Microsporidia that has been implicated in the rapid decline of bumblebees in North America, where it may be an emerging infectious disease. To investigate the evolutionary basis of pathogenicity of V. bombi, we sequenced and assembled its genome using Oxford Nanopore and Illumina technologies and performed phylogenetic and genomic evolutionary analyses. The genome assembly for V. bombi is 4.73 Mb, from which we predicted 1,870 protein-coding genes and 179 tRNA genes. The genome assembly has low repetitive content and low GC content. V. bombi's genome assembly is the smallest of the Vairimorpha and closely related Nosema genera, but larger than those found in the Encephalitozoon and Ordospora sister clades. Orthology and phylogenetic analysis revealed 18 core conserved single-copy microsporidian genes including the histone acetyltransferase (HAT) GCN5. Surprisingly, V. bombi was unique to the microsporidia in not encoding the second predicted HAT ESA1. The V. bombi genome assembly annotation included 265 unique genes (i.e. not predicted in other microsporidia genome assemblies), 20% of which encode a secretion signal, which is a significant enrichment. Intriguingly, of the 36 microsporidian genomes we analyzed, 26 also had a significant enrichment of secreted signals encoded by unique genes, ranging from 6 to 71% of those predicted genes. These results suggest that microsporidia are under selection to generate and purge diverse and unique genes encoding secreted proteins, potentially contributing to or facilitating infection of their diverse hosts. Furthermore, V. bombi has 5/7 conserved spore wall proteins (SWPs) with its closest relative V. ceranae (that primarily infects honeybees), while also uniquely encoding four additional SWPs. This gene class is thought to be essential for infection, providing both environmental protection and recognition and uptake into the host cell. Together, our results show that SWPs and unique genes encoding a secretion signal are rapidly evolving in the microsporidia, suggesting that they underpin key pathobiological traits including host specificity and pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria L Webster
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, London TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Samuel Hemmings
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Imperial College London, London W2 1PG, UK
| | - Marta Pérez
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, London TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Matthew C Fisher
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Imperial College London, London W2 1PG, UK
| | - Mark J F Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, London TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Rhys A Farrer
- MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
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2
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Chow LJ, Nesbit ML, Hill T, Tranter C, Evison SE, Hughes WO, Graystock P. Identification of fungi isolated from commercial bumblebee colonies. PeerJ 2024; 12:e16713. [PMID: 38313023 PMCID: PMC10836204 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Fungi can have important beneficial and detrimental effects on animals, yet our understanding of the diversity and function of most bee-associated fungi is poor. Over 2 million bumblebee colonies are traded globally every year, but the presence and transport of viable fungi within them is unknown. Here, we explored whether any culturable fungi could be isolated from commercial bumblebee nests. We collected samples of various substrates from within 14 bumblebee colonies, including the honey, honey cup wall, egg cup wall, and frass then placed them on agar and recorded any growth. Fungal morphotypes were then subcultured and their ITS region sequenced for identification. Overall, we cultured 11 fungal species from the various nest substrates. These included both pathogenic and non-pathogenic fungi, such as Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., and Candida sp. Our results provide the first insights into the diversity of viable fungal communities in commercial bumblebee nests. Further research is needed to determine if these fungi are unique to commercial colonies or prevalent in wild bumblebee nests, and crucially to determine the ecological and evolutionary implications of these fungi in host colonies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lui Julie Chow
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park Campus, Imperial College London, Ascot, Berkshire, United Kingdom
| | - Miles L. Nesbit
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park Campus, Imperial College London, Ascot, Berkshire, United Kingdom
| | - Tom Hill
- School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher Tranter
- School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
- School of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Sophie E.F. Evison
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | | | - Peter Graystock
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park Campus, Imperial College London, Ascot, Berkshire, United Kingdom
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3
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Ruzi SA, Youngsteadt E, Cherveny AH, Kettenbach J, Levenson HK, Carley DS, Collazo JA, Irwin RE. Bee species richness through time in an urbanizing landscape of the southeastern United States. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17060. [PMID: 38273538 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Compared to non-urban environments, cities host ecological communities with altered taxonomic diversity and functional trait composition. However, we know little about how these urban changes take shape over time. Using historical bee (Apoidea: Anthophila) museum specimens supplemented with online repositories and researcher collections, we investigated whether bee species richness tracked urban and human population growth over the past 118 years. We also determined which species were no longer collected, whether those species shared certain traits, and if collector behavior changed over time. We focused on Wake County, North Carolina, United States where human population size has increased over 16 times over the last century along with the urban area within its largest city, Raleigh, which has increased over four times. We estimated bee species richness with occupancy models, and rarefaction and extrapolation curves to account for imperfect detection and sample coverage. To determine if bee traits correlated with when species were collected, we compiled information on native status, nesting habits, diet breadth, and sociality. We used non-metric multidimensional scaling to determine if individual collectors contributed different bee assemblages over time. In total, there were 328 species collected in Wake County. We found that although bee species richness varied, there was no clear trend in bee species richness over time. However, recent collections (since 2003) were missing 195 species, and there was a shift in trait composition, particularly lost species were below-ground nesters. The top collectors in the dataset differed in how often they collected bee species, but this was not consistent between historic and contemporary time periods; some contemporary collectors grouped closer together than others, potentially due to focusing on urban habitats. Use of historical collections and complimentary analyses can fill knowledge gaps to help understand temporal patterns of species richness in taxonomic groups that may not have planned long-term data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selina A Ruzi
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Elsa Youngsteadt
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Center for Geospatial Analytics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - April Hamblin Cherveny
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jessica Kettenbach
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Hannah K Levenson
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Danesha Seth Carley
- Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jaime A Collazo
- U.S. Geological Survey, North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Rebecca E Irwin
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
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4
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Chen H, Zhang G, Ding G, Huang J, Zhang H, Vidal MC, Corlett RT, Liu C, An J. Interspecific Host Variation and Biotic Interactions Drive Pathogen Community Assembly in Chinese Bumblebees. INSECTS 2023; 14:887. [PMID: 37999086 PMCID: PMC10672019 DOI: 10.3390/insects14110887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Bumblebees have been considered one of the most important pollinators on the planet. However, recent reports of bumblebee decline have raised concern about a significant threat to ecosystem stability. Infectious diseases caused by multiple pathogen infections have been increasingly recognized as an important mechanism behind this decline worldwide. Understanding the determining factors that influence the assembly and composition of pathogen communities among bumblebees can provide important implications for predicting infectious disease dynamics and making effective conservation policies. Here, we study the relative importance of biotic interactions versus interspecific host resistance in shaping the pathogen community composition of bumblebees in China. We first conducted a comprehensive survey of 13 pathogens from 22 bumblebee species across China. We then applied joint species distribution modeling to assess the determinants of pathogen community composition and examine the presence and strength of pathogen-pathogen associations. We found that host species explained most of the variations in pathogen occurrences and composition, suggesting that host specificity was the most important variable in predicting pathogen occurrences and community composition in bumblebees. Moreover, we detected both positive and negative associations among pathogens, indicating the role of competition and facilitation among pathogens in determining pathogen community assembly. Our research demonstrates the power of a pluralistic framework integrating field survey of bumblebee pathogens with community ecology frameworks to understand the underlying mechanisms of pathogen community assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huanhuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Key Laboratory of Insect-Pollinator Biology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China; (H.C.); (G.Z.); (G.D.); (J.H.); (H.Z.)
- Centre for Yunnan Plateau Biological Resources Protection and Utilization, College of Biological Resource and Food Engineering, Qujing Normal University, Qujing 655011, China
| | - Guangshuo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Key Laboratory of Insect-Pollinator Biology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China; (H.C.); (G.Z.); (G.D.); (J.H.); (H.Z.)
| | - Guiling Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Key Laboratory of Insect-Pollinator Biology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China; (H.C.); (G.Z.); (G.D.); (J.H.); (H.Z.)
| | - Jiaxing Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Key Laboratory of Insect-Pollinator Biology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China; (H.C.); (G.Z.); (G.D.); (J.H.); (H.Z.)
| | - Hong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Key Laboratory of Insect-Pollinator Biology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China; (H.C.); (G.Z.); (G.D.); (J.H.); (H.Z.)
| | - Mayra C. Vidal
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA 02125, USA;
| | - Richard T. Corlett
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China;
| | - Cong Liu
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA 02125, USA;
- Department of Organismic and Evolutional Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Jiandong An
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Key Laboratory of Insect-Pollinator Biology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China; (H.C.); (G.Z.); (G.D.); (J.H.); (H.Z.)
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5
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Martinez A, Calhoun AC, Sadd BM. Investigating the influence of diet diversity on infection outcomes in a bumble bee ( Bombus impatiens) and microsporidian ( Nosema bombi) host-pathogen system. FRONTIERS IN INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 3:1207058. [PMID: 38469464 PMCID: PMC10926413 DOI: 10.3389/finsc.2023.1207058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Diet can have an array of both direct and indirect effects on an organism's health and fitness, which can influence the outcomes of host-pathogen interactions. Land use changes, which could impact diet quantity and quality, have imposed foraging stress on important natural and agricultural pollinators. Diet related stress could exacerbate existing negative impacts of pathogen infection. Accounting for most of its nutritional intake in terms of protein and many micronutrients, pollen can influence bee health through changes in immunity, infection, and various aspects of individual and colony fitness. We investigate how adult pollen consumption, pollen type, and pollen diversity influence bumble bee Bombus impatiens survival and infection outcomes for a microsporidian pathogen Nosema (Vairimorpha) bombi. Experimental pathogen exposures of larvae occurred in microcolonies and newly emerged adult workers were given one of three predominantly monofloral, polyfloral, or no pollen diets. Workers were assessed for size, pollen consumption, infection 8-days following adult-eclosion, survival, and the presence of extracellular microsporidian spores at death. Pollen diet treatment, specifically absence of pollen, and infection independently reduced survival, but we saw no effects of pollen, pollen type, or pollen diet diversity on infection outcomes. The latter suggests infection outcomes were likely already set, prior to differential diets. Although infection outcomes were not altered by pollen diet in our study, it highlights both pathogen infection and pollen availability as important for bumble bee health, and these factors may interact at different stages of bumble bee development, at the colony level, or under different dietary regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ben M. Sadd
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, United States
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6
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Koch JBU, Sim SB, Scheffler B, Geib SM, Smith TA. Chromosome-scale genome assembly of the rusty patched bumble bee, Bombus affinis (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Apidae), an endangered North American pollinator. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2023; 13:jkad119. [PMID: 37336593 PMCID: PMC10411558 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
The rusty patched bumble bee, Bombus affinis, is an important pollinator in North America and a federally listed endangered species. Due to habitat loss and large declines in population size, B. affinis is facing imminent extinction unless human intervention and recovery efforts are implemented. To better understand B. affinis biology and population genetic and genomic landscapes, we sequenced and assembled the B. affinis genome from a single haploid male. Whole genome HiFi sequencing on PacBio coupled with HiC sequencing resulted in a complete and highly contiguous contig assembly that was scaffolded into a chromosomal context, resolving 18 chromosomes distributed across the 365.1 Mb assembly. All material for both HiFi and HiC sequencing was derived from a single abdominal tissue segment from the single male. These assembly results, coupled with the minimal amount of tissue destructively sampled, demonstrate methods for generating contiguous and complete genomic resources for a rare and endangered species with limited material available and highlight the importance of sample preservation. Precise methods and applications of these methods are presented for potential applications in other species with similar limitations in specimen availability and curation considerations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Berenguer Uhuad Koch
- Pollinating Insect Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Logan, UT 84341, USA
| | - Sheina B Sim
- Tropical Pest Genetics and Molecular Biology Research Unit, U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Hilo, HI 96720, USA
| | - Brian Scheffler
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Research Unit, Jamie Whitten Delta States Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Stoneville, MS 38776, USA
| | - Scott M Geib
- Tropical Pest Genetics and Molecular Biology Research Unit, U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Hilo, HI 96720, USA
| | - Tamara A Smith
- Minnesota/Wisconsin Ecological Services Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bloomington, MN 55425, USA
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7
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Easton-Calabria AC, Thuma JA, Cronin K, Melone G, Laskowski M, Smith MAY, Pasadyn CL, de Bivort BL, Crall JD. Colony size buffers interactions between neonicotinoid exposure and cold stress in bumblebees. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230555. [PMID: 37464757 PMCID: PMC10354472 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Social bees are critical for supporting biodiversity, ecosystem function and crop yields globally. Colony size is a key ecological trait predicted to drive sensitivity to environmental stressors and may be especially important for species with annual cycles of sociality, such as bumblebees. However, there is limited empirical evidence assessing the effect of colony size on sensitivity to environmental stressors or the mechanisms underlying these effects. Here, we examine the relationship between colony size and sensitivity to environmental stressors in bumblebees. We exposed colonies at different developmental stages briefly (2 days) to a common neonicotinoid (imidacloprid) and cold stress, while quantifying behaviour of individuals. Combined imidacloprid and cold exposure had stronger effects on both thermoregulatory behaviour and long-term colony growth in small colonies. We find that imidacloprid's effects on behaviour are mediated by body temperature and spatial location within the nest, suggesting that social thermoregulation provides a buffering effect in large colonies. Finally, we demonstrate qualitatively similar effects in size-manipulated microcolonies, suggesting that group size per se, rather than colony age, drives these patterns. Our results provide evidence that colony size is critical in driving sensitivity to stressors and may help elucidate mechanisms underlying the complex and context-specific impacts of pesticide exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- August C. Easton-Calabria
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Jessie A. Thuma
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155-5801, USA
| | - Kayleigh Cronin
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Gigi Melone
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Madalyn Laskowski
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Matthew A. Y. Smith
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Cassandra L. Pasadyn
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Benjamin L. de Bivort
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - James D. Crall
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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8
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Strange JP, Tripodi AD, Huntzinger C, Knoblett J, Klinger E, Herndon JD, Vuong HQ, McFrederick QS, Irwin RE, Evans JD, Giacomini JJ, Ward R, Adler LS. Comparative analysis of 3 pollen sterilization methods for feeding bumble bees. JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 116:662-673. [PMID: 36930576 DOI: 10.1093/jee/toad036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Pollen is an essential component of bee diets, and rearing bumble bees (Bombus spp.) for commercial use necessitates feeding pollen in mass quantities. This pollen is collected from honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies because neither an artificial diet nor an economical, large-scale pollen collection process from flowers is available. The provenance of honey bee-collected pollen is often unknown, and in some cases has crossed international borders. Both deformed wing virus (DWV) and the fungal pathogen Ascosphaera apis (Claussen) Olive & Spiltoir (cause of chalkbrood disease); occur in honey bee-collected pollen, and infections have been observed in bumble bees. We used these pathogens as general surrogates for viruses and spore-forming fungal diseases to test the efficacy of 3 sterilization methods, and assessed whether treatment altered pollen quality for the bumble bee. Using honey bee-collected pollen spiked with known doses of DWV and A. apis, we compared gamma irradiation (GI), ozone fumigation (OZ), and ethylene oxide fumigation (EO) against an untreated positive control and a negative control. Following sterilization treatments, we tested A. apis spore viability, detected viral presence with PCR, and tested palatability to the bumble bee Bombus impatiens Cresson. We also measured bacterial growth from pollens treated with EO and GI. GI and EO outperformed OZ treatment in pathogen suppression. EO had the highest sterilizing properties under commercial conditions and retained palatability and supported bee development better than other treatments. These results suggest that EO sterilization reduces pathogen risks while retaining pollen quality as a food source for rearing bumble bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P Strange
- USDA-ARS-Pollinating Insect Biology Management and Systematics Research Unit, Logan, UT 84341, United States
- Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, United States
| | | | - Craig Huntzinger
- USDA-ARS-Pollinating Insect Biology Management and Systematics Research Unit, Logan, UT 84341, United States
| | - Joyce Knoblett
- USDA-ARS-Pollinating Insect Biology Management and Systematics Research Unit, Logan, UT 84341, United States
| | - Ellen Klinger
- USDA-ARS-Pollinating Insect Biology Management and Systematics Research Unit, Logan, UT 84341, United States
- Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, United States
| | - James D Herndon
- USDA-ARS-Pollinating Insect Biology Management and Systematics Research Unit, Logan, UT 84341, United States
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84321, United States
| | - Hoang Q Vuong
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, United States
| | - Quinn S McFrederick
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, United States
| | - Rebecca E Irwin
- Department of Applied Ecology, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695United States
| | - Jay D Evans
- Bee Research Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, US Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, United States
| | - Jonathan J Giacomini
- Department of Applied Ecology, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695United States
| | - Robert Ward
- Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322United States
| | - Lynn S Adler
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003United States
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9
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Martín-Blázquez R, Calhoun AC, Sadd BM, Cameron SA. Gene expression in bumble bee larvae differs qualitatively between high and low concentration imidacloprid exposure levels. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9415. [PMID: 37296299 PMCID: PMC10256756 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36232-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Neonicotinoid pesticides negatively impact bumble bee health, even at sublethal concentrations. Responses to the neonicotinoid imidacloprid have been studied largely at individual adult and colony levels, focusing mostly on behavioral and physiological effects. Data from developing larvae, whose health is critical for colony success, are deficient, particularly at the molecular level where transcriptomes can reveal disruption of fundamental biological pathways. We investigated gene expression of Bombus impatiens larvae exposed through food provisions to two field-realistic imidacloprid concentrations (0.7 and 7.0 ppb). We hypothesized both concentrations would alter gene expression, but the higher concentration would have greater qualitative and quantitative effects. We found 678 genes differentially expressed under both imidacloprid exposures relative to controls, including mitochondrial activity, development, and DNA replication genes. However, more genes were differentially expressed with higher imidacloprid exposure; uniquely differentially expressed genes included starvation response and cuticle genes. The former may partially result from reduced pollen use, monitored to verify food provision use and provide additional context to results. A smaller differentially expressed set only in lower concentration larvae, included neural development and cell growth genes. Our findings show varying molecular consequences under different field-realistic neonicotinoid concentrations, and that even low concentrations may affect fundamental biological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rubén Martín-Blázquez
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Isla de la Cartuja, Seville, Spain.
| | - Austin C Calhoun
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Ben M Sadd
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Sydney A Cameron
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
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10
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McCormick EC, Cohen OR, Dolezal AG, Sadd BM. Consequences of microsporidian prior exposure for virus infection outcomes and bumble bee host health. Oecologia 2023:10.1007/s00442-023-05394-x. [PMID: 37284861 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05394-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Host-parasite interactions do not occur in a vacuum, but in connected multi-parasite networks that can result in co-exposures and coinfections of individual hosts. These can affect host health and disease ecology, including disease outbreaks. However, many host-parasite studies examine pairwise interactions, meaning we still lack a general understanding of the influence of co-exposures and coinfections. Using the bumble bee Bombus impatiens, we study the effects of larval exposure to a microsporidian Nosema bombi, implicated in bumble bee declines, and adult exposure to Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV), an emerging infectious disease from honey bee parasite spillover. We hypothesize that infection outcomes will be modified by co-exposure or coinfection. Nosema bombi is a potentially severe, larval-infecting parasite, and we predict that prior exposure will result in decreased host resistance to adult IAPV infection. We predict double parasite exposure will also reduce host tolerance of infection, as measured by host survival. Although our larval Nosema exposure mostly did not result in viable infections, it partially reduced resistance to adult IAPV infection. Nosema exposure also negatively affected survival, potentially due to a cost of immunity in resisting the exposure. There was a significant negative effect of IAPV exposure on survivorship, but prior Nosema exposure did not alter this survival outcome, suggesting increased tolerance given the higher IAPV infections in the bees previously exposed to Nosema. These results again demonstrate that infection outcomes can be non-independent when multiple parasites are present, even when exposure to one parasite does not result in a substantial infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elyse C McCormick
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, 61790, USA
| | - Olivia R Cohen
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, 61790, USA
| | - Adam G Dolezal
- School of Integrated Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Ben M Sadd
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, 61790, USA.
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11
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Chandra Ghimire K, Pandey A, Roka I, Adhikari JN, Bhusal DR. Community dynamics of bumblebee across elevation gradients and habitat mosaics in Chitwan Annapurna Landscape, Nepal. Heliyon 2023; 9:e17076. [PMID: 37484416 PMCID: PMC10361243 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The species composition of bumblebees (Bombus species) across the elevation gradients in Chitwan-Annapurna Landscape (CHAL) was studied from April to November 2019. We performed opportunistic surveys to collect the bumblebee specimens. The walking transects were followed in the accessible places along the Kaligandaki, Marshyandi, and Budhigandaki river basins in different habitats (e.g., agricultural, forest, grassland and home garden). We identified 16 Bombus species from the sampling areas. The highest relative abundance was of B. haemorrhoidalis (20%), followed by B. festivus (20%) and B. eximius (19%). The least abundant species were B. branickii, B. miniatus, B. novus, and B. pressus with 1% relative abundance of each. We examined the effects of elevation on bumblebee richness and found a significant relationship. The Highest species richness was detected in the mid-elevation. Likewise, the highest species richness and diversity were found in the forest habitat in Gorkha site (n = 12, Shannon index H' = 2.18) followed by the grassland habitat of the Mustang site (n = 11, Shannon index H' = 2.10). Whereas, comparatively, species diversity was higher in habitats of the Gorkha site comparing Manang and Mustang. The elevation gradients create immense variations in microclimatic conditions and vegetation dynamics, which influence bumblebee abundance, species richness and diversities in different habitats in the study area. The mid-elevation range (2000-3000 m asl) of CHAL exhibited the highest species richness probably due to the higher availability of pollinator-dependent flowering plants in this range. The landcover composition and anthropogenic activities along the elevation gradient is the governing factor for the species composition, distribution and diversity of bumblebees in CHAL. We recommend to decision-makers for formulating their conservation strategies under a socio-ecological framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kishor Chandra Ghimire
- Central Department of Zoology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
- Birendra Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Bharatpur, Chitwan, Nepal
| | - Anjeela Pandey
- Central Department of Zoology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Ichha Roka
- Central Department of Zoology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Jagan Nath Adhikari
- Central Department of Zoology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
- Birendra Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Bharatpur, Chitwan, Nepal
| | - Daya Ram Bhusal
- Central Department of Zoology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
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12
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Orlova M, Porter M, Hines HM, Amsalem E. Symptomatic Infection with Vairimorpha spp. Decreases Diapause Survival in a Wild Bumble Bee Species ( Bombus griseocollis). Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13101656. [PMID: 37238086 DOI: 10.3390/ani13101656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Vairimorpha, a microsporidian parasite (previously classified as Nosema), has been implicated in the decline of wild bumble bee species in North America. Previous studies examining its influence on colony performance have displayed variable results, from extremely detrimental effects to no observable influence, and little is known about the effects it has on individuals during the winter diapause, a bottleneck for survival in many annual pollinators. Here, we examined the effect of Vairimorpha infection, body size, and mass on diapause survival in Bombus griseocollis gynes. We demonstrate that gyne survival length in diapause is negatively affected by symptomatic Vairimorpha infection of the maternal colony but does not correlate with individual pathogen load. Our findings further indicate that increased body mass offers a protective effect against mortality during diapause in infected, but not in healthy, gynes. This suggests that access to adequate nutritional resources prior to diapause might offset the harmful effect of Vairimorpha infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margarita Orlova
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, Utica, NY 13502, USA
| | - Monique Porter
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Heather M Hines
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Etya Amsalem
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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13
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Malfi RL, McFrederick QS, Lozano G, Irwin RE, Adler LS. Sunflower plantings reduce a common gut pathogen and increase queen production in common eastern bumblebee colonies. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230055. [PMID: 37015273 PMCID: PMC10072944 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Community diversity can reduce the prevalence and spread of disease, but certain species may play a disproportionate role in diluting or amplifying pathogens. Flowers act as both sources of nutrition and sites of pathogen transmission, but the effects of specific plant species in shaping bee disease dynamics are not well understood. We evaluated whether plantings of sunflower (Helianthus annuus), whose pollen reduces infection by some pathogens when fed to bees in captivity, lowered pathogen levels and increased reproduction in free-foraging bumblebee colonies (Bombus impatiens). Sunflower abundance reduced the prevalence of a common gut pathogen, Crithidia bombi, and reduced infection intensity, with an order of magnitude lower infection intensity at high sunflower sites compared with sites with little to no sunflower. Sunflower abundance was also positively associated with greater queen production in colonies. Sunflower did not affect prevalence of other detected pathogens. This work demonstrates that a single plant species can drive disease dynamics in foraging B. impatiens, and that sunflower plantings can be used as a tool for mitigating a prevalent pathogen while also increasing reproduction of an agriculturally important bee species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosemary L. Malfi
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | | | - Giselle Lozano
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Rebecca E. Irwin
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Lynn S. Adler
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
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14
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Yanagisawa T, Kato Y, Inoue MN. Infection Prevalence of Microsporidia Vairimorpha ( Nosema) spp. in Japanese Bumblebees. INSECTS 2023; 14:340. [PMID: 37103155 PMCID: PMC10145284 DOI: 10.3390/insects14040340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Microsporidia are spore-forming intracellular parasites of various invertebrates and vertebrates. Vairimorpha bombi negatively affects the fitness of bumblebees and its prevalence correlates with declining bumblebee populations. The invasive alien species Bombus terrestris colonized Japan and possibly introduced new parasites. To assess the infection prevalence of V. bombi in Japanese bumblebees and B. terrestris, we investigated V. bombi infections using PCR and microscopy. The prevalence of sporulating V. bombi infections in three Bombus s. str. species/subspecies was low, whereas that of non/low-sporulating Vairimorpha sp. infections in three Diversobombus species/subspecies was high. Invasive B. terrestris showed low prevalence of non/low-sporulating V. bombi infections and shared the same V. bombi haplotype with B. hypocrita found in Hokkaido, where B. terrestris is present, and in Honshu, where B. terrestris is absent. Although V. bombi may have been introduced with B. terrestris colonies imported from Europe, it seems to be originally distributed in Japan. Furthermore, a new Vairimorpha sp. was found in Japanese bumblebee species. V. bombi and Vairimorpha sp. showed different organ and host specificities in bumblebees. There are no reports on the specific effects of other Vairimorpha spp. on bumblebees; further studies are needed to clarify the individual characteristics of Vairimorpha spp.
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15
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Recent and future declines of a historically widespread pollinator linked to climate, land cover, and pesticides. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2211223120. [PMID: 36689649 PMCID: PMC9945941 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2211223120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The acute decline in global biodiversity includes not only the loss of rare species, but also the rapid collapse of common species across many different taxa. The loss of pollinating insects is of particular concern because of the ecological and economic values these species provide. The western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis) was once common in western North America, but this species has become increasingly rare through much of its range. To understand potential mechanisms driving these declines, we used Bayesian occupancy models to investigate the effects of climate and land cover from 1998 to 2020, pesticide use from 2008 to 2014, and projected expected occupancy under three future scenarios. Using 14,457 surveys across 2.8 million km2 in the western United States, we found strong negative relationships between increasing temperature and drought on occupancy and identified neonicotinoids as the pesticides of greatest negative influence across our study region. The mean predicted occupancy declined by 57% from 1998 to 2020, ranging from 15 to 83% declines across 16 ecoregions. Even under the most optimistic scenario, we found continued declines in nearly half of the ecoregions by the 2050s and mean declines of 93% under the most severe scenario across all ecoregions. This assessment underscores the tenuous future of B. occidentalis and demonstrates the scale of stressors likely contributing to rapid loss of related pollinator species throughout the globe. Scaled-up, international species-monitoring schemes and improved integration of data from formal surveys and community science will substantively improve the understanding of stressors and bumble bee population trends.
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16
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Manlik O, Mundra S, Schmid‐Hempel R, Schmid‐Hempel P. Impact of climate change on parasite infection of an important pollinator depends on host genotypes. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:69-80. [PMID: 36176231 PMCID: PMC10092497 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is predicted to affect host-parasite interactions, and for some hosts, parasite infection is expected to increase with rising temperatures. Global population declines of important pollinators already have been attributed to climate change and parasitism. However, the role of climate in driving parasite infection and the genetic basis for pollinator hosts to respond often remain obscure. Based on decade-long field data, we investigated the association between climate and Nosema bombi (Microsporidia) infection of buffed-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris), and whether host genotypes play a role. For this, we genotyped 876 wild bumblebee queens and screened for N. bombi infection of those queens between 2000 and 2010. We recorded seven climate parameters during those 11 years and tested for correlations between climate and infection prevalence. Here we show that climatic factors drive N. bombi infection and that the impact of climate depends on mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase I (COI) haplotypes of the host. Infection prevalence was correlated with climatic variables during the time when queens emerge from hibernation. Remarkably, COI haplotypes best predict this association between climatic factors and infection. In particular, two host haplotypes ("A" and "B") displayed phenotypic plasticity in response to climatic variation: Temperature was positively correlated with infection of host haplotype B, but not haplotype A. The likelihood of infection of haplotype A was associated with moisture, conferring greater resistance to parasite infection during wetter years. In contrast, infection of haplotype B was unrelated to moisture. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that identifies specific host genotypes that confer differential parasite resistance under variable climatic conditions. Our results underscore the importance of mitochondrial haplotypes to ward off parasites in a changing climate. More broadly, this also suggests that COI may play a pertinent role in climate change adaptations of insect pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Manlik
- Biology Department, College of ScienceUnited Arab Emirates UniversityAl AinUnited Arab Emirates
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological Earth and Environmental ScienceUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Sunil Mundra
- Biology Department, College of ScienceUnited Arab Emirates UniversityAl AinUnited Arab Emirates
- Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and BiotechnologyUnited Arab Emirates UniversityAl AinUnited Arab Emirates
| | - Regula Schmid‐Hempel
- Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and BiotechnologyUnited Arab Emirates UniversityAl AinUnited Arab Emirates
| | - Paul Schmid‐Hempel
- ETH Zurich, Institute of Integrative Biology (IBZ), ETH‐Zentrum CHNZurichSwitzerland
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17
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Pislak Ocepek M, Glavan G, Verovnik R, Šimenc L, Toplak I. First Detection of Honeybee Pathogenic Viruses in Butterflies. INSECTS 2022; 13:925. [PMID: 36292873 PMCID: PMC9604290 DOI: 10.3390/insects13100925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Several pathogens are important causes of the observed pollinator decline, some of which could be transmitted between different pollinator species. To determine whether honeybee viruses can be transmitted to butterflies, a total of 120 butterflies were sampled at four locations in Slovenia. At each location, butterflies from three families (Pieridae, Nymphalidae, Hesperiidae/Lycenidae) and Carniolan honeybees (Apis mellifera carnica) were collected. The RNA of six honeybee viruses, i.e., acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), black queen cell virus (BQCV), chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV), deformed wing virus A (DWV-A), Sacbrood bee virus (SBV), and Lake Sinai virus 3 (LSV3), was detected by a specific quantitative method (RT-PCR). The presence of ABPV, BQCV, LSV3, and SBV was detected in both butterflies and honeybees. All butterfly and bee samples were negative for CBPV, while DWV-A was detected only in honeybees. The viral load in the positive butterfly samples was much lower than in the positive bee samples, which could indicate that butterflies are passive carriers of bee viruses. The percentage of positive butterfly samples was higher when the butterflies were collected at sampling sites with a higher density of apiaries. Therefore, we believe that infected bees are a necessary condition for the presence of viruses in cohabiting butterflies. This is the first study on the presence of pathogenic bee viruses in butterflies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Metka Pislak Ocepek
- Institute of Pathology, Wild Animals, Fish and Bees, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Gerbičeva 60, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Gordana Glavan
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Rudi Verovnik
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Laura Šimenc
- Institute of Microbiology and Parasitology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Gerbičeva 60, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ivan Toplak
- Institute of Microbiology and Parasitology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Gerbičeva 60, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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18
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Kato Y, Kikuta S, Barribeau SM, Inoue MN. In vitro larval rearing method of eusocial bumblebee Bombus terrestris for toxicity test. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15783. [PMID: 36138070 PMCID: PMC9499950 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19965-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Bumblebees are important pollinators of wild and agricultural plants but recently have been declining due to various stressors, such as pesticides and diseases. Because of the haplo-diploid sex determination system in hymenopterans, experiments using micro-colonies (small sub colonies without a queen) to identify risks to bumblebee health are limited as they are only able to produce males. Therefore, an experimental protocol for rearing bumblebee larvae in vitro is needed to better understand effects on worker larvae. Here, we aimed to establish a rearing method for larvae of Bombus terrestris for use in risk assessment assays. To confirm the validity of our rearing method, we tested two insecticides used for tomato cultivation, chlorfenapyr and dinotefuran. Bombus terrestris larvae fed with a high nutrient quantity and quality diet increased growth per day. All chlorfenapyr-exposed individuals died within 10 days at 2000-fold dilution, an application dose used for tomatoes. There were significant differences in adult emergence rate among almost all chlorfenapyr treatments. On the other hand, sublethal dinotefuran-exposure did not affect rates of pupation and adult emergence, growth, or larval and pupal periods. Although larvae were smaller than in the natural colony, this rearing method for B. terrestris larvae proved to be effective at evaluating realistic sub-colonies to pesticide exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuto Kato
- Department of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan
| | - Shingo Kikuta
- College of Agriculture, Ibaraki University, Ami, Ibaraki, 300-0393, Japan
| | - Seth M Barribeau
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary, and Ecological Sciences, The University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Maki N Inoue
- Department of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan.
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19
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The potential consequences of 'bee washing' on wild bee health and conservation. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2022; 18:30-32. [PMID: 35399591 PMCID: PMC8989764 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2022.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Concern around declining bee populations globally has become an environmental issue of mainstream importance. Policymakers, scientists, environmental non-government organizations, media outlets and the public have displayed great interest in conservation actions to support pollinators. As with many environmental causes, green washing, or in this case ‘bee washing’, has become rampant. Bee washing can lead to multiple negative consequences, including misinformation, misallocation of resources, increasing threats and steering public understanding and environmental policy away from evidence-based decision-making. Here I will discuss the multiple potential consequences of bee washing on efforts to conserve declining wild bees and promote wild bee health. Concern around declining bee populations globally has become an environmental issue of mainstream importance. Policymakers, scientists, environmental non-government organizations, media outlets and the public have displayed interest in conservation action to support pollinators. ‘Bee washing’, has become rampant. Narratives and actions tend to focus on low-hanging fruit, actions which are easy to address and/or the selling of commercial items where industry benefits but the species of concern do not. Negative consequences include misinformation, misallocation of resources, increasing threats and steering environmental policy away from evidence-based decision-making.
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20
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Zhang ZJ, Zheng H. Bumblebees with the socially transmitted microbiome: A novel model organism for gut microbiota research. INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 29:958-976. [PMID: 35567381 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Eusocial bumble and honey bees are important pollinators for global ecology and the agricultural economy. Although both the bumble and honey bees possess similar and host-restricted gut microbiota, they differ in aspects of morphology, autonomy, physiology, behavior, and life cycle. The social bee gut bacteria exhibit host specificity that is likely a result of long-term co-evolution. The unique life cycle of bumblebees is key for the acquisition and development of their gut microbiota, and affects the strain-level diversity of the core bacterial species. Studies on bumblebee gut bacteria show that they retain less functional capacity for carbohydrate metabolism compared with that of the honeybee. We discuss the potential roles of the bumblebee gut microbiota against pathogenic threats and the application of host-specific probiotics for bumblebees. Given the advantages of the bumblebee microbiome, including the simple structure and host specificity, and the ease of manipulating bumblebee colonies, we propose that bumblebees may provide a valuable system for understanding the general principles of host-microbe interactions, gut-brain axis, and vertical transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Jing Zhang
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Hao Zheng
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
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21
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Brown MJF. Complex networks of parasites and pollinators: moving towards a healthy balance. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210161. [PMID: 35491603 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Parasites are viewed as a major threat to wild pollinator health. While this may be true for epidemics driven by parasite spillover from managed or invasive species, the picture is more complex for endemic parasites. Wild pollinator species host and share a species-rich, generalist parasite community. In contrast to the negative health impacts that these parasites impose on individual hosts, at a community level they may act to reduce competition from common and abundant pollinator species. By providing rare species with space in which to exist, this will act to support and maintain a diverse and thus healthier pollinator community. At this level, and perhaps paraxodically, parasites may be good for pollinators. This stands in clear contrast to the obvious negative impacts of epidemic and spillover parasites on wild pollinator communities. Research into floral resources that control parasites could be best employed to help design landscapes that provide pollinators with the opportunity to moderate their parasite community, rather than attempting to eliminate specific parasites from wild pollinator communities. This article is part of the theme issue 'Natural processes influencing pollinator health: from chemistry to landscapes'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark J F Brown
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
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22
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Montero‐Castaño A, Koch JBU, Lindsay TT, Love B, Mola JM, Newman K, Sharkey JK. Pursuing best practices for minimizing wild bee captures to support biological research. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.12734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jonathan Berenguer Uhuad Koch
- U.S. Department of Agriculture‐Agricultural Research Service Pollinating Insect‐Biology, Management, and Systematics Research Unit Logan Utah USA
| | - Thuy‐Tien Thai Lindsay
- U.S. Department of Agriculture‐Agricultural Research Service Pollinating Insect‐Biology, Management, and Systematics Research Unit Logan Utah USA
| | - Byron Love
- U.S. Department of Agriculture‐Agricultural Research Service Pollinating Insect‐Biology, Management, and Systematics Research Unit Logan Utah USA
| | - John M. Mola
- U.S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center Fort Collins Colorado USA
| | - Kiera Newman
- School of Environmental Sciences University of Guelph Guelph Ontario Canada
| | - Janean K. Sharkey
- School of Environmental Sciences University of Guelph Guelph Ontario Canada
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23
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Sun H, Mu X, Zhang K, Lang H, Su Q, Li X, Zhou X, Zhang X, Zheng H. Geographical resistome profiling in the honeybee microbiome reveals resistance gene transfer conferred by mobilizable plasmids. MICROBIOME 2022; 10:69. [PMID: 35501925 PMCID: PMC9063374 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-022-01268-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has been of global concern as one of the greatest environmental threats. The gut microbiome of animals has been found to be a large reservoir of ARGs, which is also an indicator of the environmental antibiotic spectrum. The conserved microbiota makes the honeybee a tractable and confined ecosystem for studying the maintenance and transfer of ARGs across gut bacteria. Although it has been found that honeybee gut bacteria harbor diverse sets of ARGs, the influences of environmental variables and the mechanism driving their distribution remain unclear. RESULTS We characterized the gut resistome of two closely related honeybee species, Apis cerana and Apis mellifera, domesticated in 14 geographic locations across China. The composition of the ARGs was more associated with host species rather than with geographical distribution, and A. mellifera had a higher content of ARGs in the gut. There was a moderate geographic pattern of resistome distribution, and several core ARG groups were found to be prevalent among A. cerana samples. These shared genes were mainly carried by the honeybee-specific gut members Gilliamella and Snodgrassella. Transferrable ARGs were frequently detected in honeybee guts, and the load was much higher in A. mellifera samples. Genomic loci of the bee gut symbionts containing a streptomycin resistance gene cluster were nearly identical to those of the broad-host-range IncQ plasmid, a proficient DNA delivery system in the environment. By in vitro conjugation experiments, we confirmed that the mobilizable plasmids could be transferred between honeybee gut symbionts by conjugation. Moreover, "satellite plasmids" with fragmented genes were identified in the integrated regions of different symbionts from multiple areas. CONCLUSIONS Our study illustrates that the gut microbiota of different honeybee hosts varied in their antibiotic resistance structure, highlighting the role of the bee microbiome as a potential bioindicator and disseminator of antibiotic resistance. The difference in domestication history is highly influential in the structuring of the bee gut resistome. Notably, the evolution of plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance is likely to promote the probability of its persistence and dissemination. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huihui Sun
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Xiaohuan Mu
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Kexun Zhang
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Haoyu Lang
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Qinzhi Su
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Xingan Li
- Key Laboratory for Bee Genetics and Breeding, Jilin Provincial Institute of Apicultural Sciences, Jilin, 132000, China
| | - Xin Zhou
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Xue Zhang
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Hao Zheng
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China.
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Abstract
Bumblebees (Bombus) are charismatic and important pollinators. They are one of the best studied insect groups, especially in terms of ecology, behavior, and social structure. As many species are declining, there is a clear need to understand more about them. Microbial symbionts, which can influence many dimensions of animal life, likely have an outsized role in bumblebee biology. Recent research has shown that a conserved set of beneficial gut bacterial symbionts is ubiquitous across bumblebees. These bacteria are related to gut symbionts of honeybees, but have not been studied as intensively. Here we synthesize studies of bumblebee gut microbiota, highlight major knowledge gaps, and suggest future directions. Several patterns emerge, such as symbiont-host specificity maintained by sociality, frequent symbiont loss from individual bees, symbiont-conferred protection from trypanosomatid parasites, and divergence between bumblebee and honeybee microbiota in several key traits. For many facets of bumblebee-microbe interactions, however, underlying mechanisms and ecological functions remain unclear. Such information is important if we are to understand how bumblebees shape, and are shaped by, their gut microbiota. Bumblebees may provide a useful system for microbiome scientists, providing insights into general principles of host-microbe interactions. We also note how microbiota could influence bumblebee traits and responses to stressors. Finally, we propose that tinkering with the microbiota could be one way to aid bumblebee resilience in the face of global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobin J. Hammer
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78703
- Corresponding author:
| | - Eli Le
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78703
| | - Alexia N. Martin
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78703
| | - Nancy A. Moran
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78703
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25
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Averill AL, Couto AV, Andersen JC, Elkinton JS. Parasite Prevalence May Drive the Biotic Impoverishment of New England (USA) Bumble Bee Communities. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12100941. [PMID: 34680710 PMCID: PMC8539347 DOI: 10.3390/insects12100941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Simple Summary Here we discuss widespread changes in the community structure of bumble bees (Bombus spp.) found in the coastal-zone community of New England. One species in particular, Bombus impatiens Cresson, 1863, has increased in relative abundance nearly 45% since the 1990s to become the dominant species in the region, representing nearly 75% of all Bombus individuals collected in our studies. These changes in abundance may be, in part, due to differences in infection rates by microparasites, with B. impatiens having significantly fewer microparasites than several other less common and declining Bombus species. We discuss the possible role of microparasites in influencing the community composition of Bombus species in our region, and how these infections might be compounding declines in conjunction with habitat loss and climate change. Abstract Numerous studies have reported a diversity of stressors that may explain continental-scale declines in populations of native pollinators, particularly those in the genus Bombus. However, there has been little focus on the identification of the local-scale dynamics that may structure currently impoverished Bombus communities. For example, the historically diverse coastal-zone communities of New England (USA) now comprise only a few species and are primarily dominated by a single species, B. impatiens. To better understand the local-scale factors that might be influencing this change in community structure, we examined differences in the presence of parasites in different species of Bombus collected in coastal-zone communities. Our results indicate that Bombus species that are in decline in this region were more likely to harbor parasites than are B. impatiens populations, which were more likely to be parasite-free and to harbor fewer intense infections or co-infections. The contrasting parasite burden between co-occurring winners and losers in this community may impact the endgame of asymmetric contests among species competing for dwindling resources. We suggest that under changing climate and landscape conditions, increasing domination of communities by healthy, synanthropic Bombus species (such as B. impatiens) may be another factor hastening the further erosion of bumble bee diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne L. Averill
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA; (J.C.A.); (J.S.E.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-413-545-1054
| | - Andrea V. Couto
- Department of Computer Science, Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, MA 02324, USA;
| | - Jeremy C. Andersen
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA; (J.C.A.); (J.S.E.)
| | - Joseph S. Elkinton
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA; (J.C.A.); (J.S.E.)
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26
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Suzuki‐Ohno Y, Yokoyama J, Nakashizuka T, Kawata M. Bee occurrence data collected in citizen science program “
Hanamaru‐Maruhana
national census” in Japan. Ecol Res 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jun Yokoyama
- Faculty of Science Yamagata University Yamagata Japan
| | | | - Masakado Kawata
- Graduate School of Life Sciences Tohoku University Sendai Japan
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27
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Borchardt KE, Morales CL, Aizen MA, Toth AL. Plant-pollinator conservation from the perspective of systems-ecology. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 47:154-161. [PMID: 34325080 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2021.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Ecosystems are interconnected and complex, but conservation has often focused on rehabilitating individual species. A systems-ecology approach aims to support overall structure and maintain functions of the whole ecosystem, and may be especially pertinent for mutualistic plant-pollinator communities. This approach focuses on species interactions as the units to be conserved within the larger ecosystem. Analyzing species interactions is a more holistic approach because it incorporates a broader web of organisms, and considers the plethora of potential indirect influences from interacting partners. In this article, we suggest pollinator researchers focus on plant-pollinator networks to inform conservation programs and best support the coexistence of pollinators and plants within natural and agricultural systems. We propose that a system-ecology perspective is the most promising way to simultaneously improve pollinator conservation, agricultural sustainability, and human well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate E Borchardt
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
| | - Carolina L Morales
- Grupo de Ecología de la Polinización, INIBIOMA, Universidad Nacional del Comahue-CONICET, Bariloche, Río Negro, 8400, Argentina
| | - Marcelo A Aizen
- Grupo de Ecología de la Polinización, INIBIOMA, Universidad Nacional del Comahue-CONICET, Bariloche, Río Negro, 8400, Argentina; Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, 14193, Berlin, Germany
| | - Amy L Toth
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA; Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.
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28
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The Pathogens Spillover and Incidence Correlation in Bumblebees and Honeybees in Slovenia. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10070884. [PMID: 34358034 PMCID: PMC8308815 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10070884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Slovenia has a long tradition of beekeeping and a high density of honeybee colonies, but less is known about bumblebees and their pathogens. Therefore, a study was conducted to define the incidence and prevalence of pathogens in bumblebees and to determine whether there are links between infections in bumblebees and honeybees. In 2017 and 2018, clinically healthy workers of bumblebees (Bombus spp.) and honeybees (Apis mellifera) were collected on flowers at four different locations in Slovenia. In addition, bumblebee queens were also collected in 2018. Several pathogens were detected in the bumblebee workers using PCR and RT-PCR methods: 8.8% on acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), 58.5% on black queen cell virus (BQCV), 6.8% on deformed wing virus (DWV), 24.5% on sacbrood bee virus (SBV), 15.6% on Lake Sinai virus (LSV), 16.3% on Nosema bombi, 8.2% on Nosema ceranae, 15.0% on Apicystis bombi and 17.0% on Crithidia bombi. In bumblebee queens, only the presence of BQCV, A. bombi and C. bombi was detected with 73.3, 26.3 and 33.3% positive samples, respectively. This study confirmed that several pathogens are regularly detected in both bumblebees and honeybees. Further studies on the pathogen transmission routes are required.
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29
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Sun C, Huang J, Wang Y, Zhao X, Su L, Thomas GWC, Zhao M, Zhang X, Jungreis I, Kellis M, Vicario S, Sharakhov IV, Bondarenko SM, Hasselmann M, Kim CN, Paten B, Penso-Dolfin L, Wang L, Chang Y, Gao Q, Ma L, Ma L, Zhang Z, Zhang H, Zhang H, Ruzzante L, Robertson HM, Zhu Y, Liu Y, Yang H, Ding L, Wang Q, Ma D, Xu W, Liang C, Itgen MW, Mee L, Cao G, Zhang Z, Sadd BM, Hahn MW, Schaack S, Barribeau SM, Williams PH, Waterhouse RM, Mueller RL. Genus-Wide Characterization of Bumblebee Genomes Provides Insights into Their Evolution and Variation in Ecological and Behavioral Traits. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:486-501. [PMID: 32946576 PMCID: PMC7826183 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Bumblebees are a diverse group of globally important pollinators in natural ecosystems and for agricultural food production. With both eusocial and solitary life-cycle phases, and some social parasite species, they are especially interesting models to understand social evolution, behavior, and ecology. Reports of many species in decline point to pathogen transmission, habitat loss, pesticide usage, and global climate change, as interconnected causes. These threats to bumblebee diversity make our reliance on a handful of well-studied species for agricultural pollination particularly precarious. To broadly sample bumblebee genomic and phenotypic diversity, we de novo sequenced and assembled the genomes of 17 species, representing all 15 subgenera, producing the first genus-wide quantification of genetic and genomic variation potentially underlying key ecological and behavioral traits. The species phylogeny resolves subgenera relationships, whereas incomplete lineage sorting likely drives high levels of gene tree discordance. Five chromosome-level assemblies show a stable 18-chromosome karyotype, with major rearrangements creating 25 chromosomes in social parasites. Differential transposable element activity drives changes in genome sizes, with putative domestications of repetitive sequences influencing gene coding and regulatory potential. Dynamically evolving gene families and signatures of positive selection point to genus-wide variation in processes linked to foraging, diet and metabolism, immunity and detoxification, as well as adaptations for life at high altitudes. Our study reveals how bumblebee genes and genomes have evolved across the Bombus phylogeny and identifies variations potentially linked to key ecological and behavioral traits of these important pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Sun
- Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jiaxing Huang
- Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yun Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiaomeng Zhao
- Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Long Su
- Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Gregg W C Thomas
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT
| | - Mengya Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xingtan Zhang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Irwin Jungreis
- MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Cambridge, MA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA
| | - Manolis Kellis
- MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Cambridge, MA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA
| | - Saverio Vicario
- Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research-Italian National Research Council C/O Department of Physics, University of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Igor V Sharakhov
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA.,Department of Cytology and Genetics, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russian Federation
| | - Semen M Bondarenko
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Martin Hasselmann
- Department of Livestock Population Genomics, Institute of Animal Science, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Chang N Kim
- UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
| | - Benedict Paten
- UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
| | | | - Li Wang
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yuxiao Chang
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Qiang Gao
- BGI Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ling Ma
- BGI Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Lina Ma
- China National Center for Bioinformation & Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhang Zhang
- China National Center for Bioinformation & Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hongbo Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Huahao Zhang
- College of Pharmacy and Life Science, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang, China
| | - Livio Ruzzante
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Hugh M Robertson
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL
| | - Yihui Zhu
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Genome Center, and MIND Institute, University of California Davis, Davis, CA
| | - Yanjie Liu
- Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Huipeng Yang
- Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lele Ding
- Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Quangui Wang
- Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Dongna Ma
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Weilin Xu
- Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Cheng Liang
- Institute of Sericultural and Apiculture, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Mengzi, China
| | - Michael W Itgen
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Lauren Mee
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Gang Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ze Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Ben M Sadd
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL
| | - Matthew W Hahn
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.,Department of Computer Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
| | | | - Seth M Barribeau
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Paul H Williams
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robert M Waterhouse
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
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30
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Folly AJ, Koch H, Farrell IW, Stevenson PC, Brown MJF. Agri-environment scheme nectar chemistry can suppress the social epidemiology of parasites in an important pollinator. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210363. [PMID: 34034519 PMCID: PMC8150011 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Emergent infectious diseases are one of the main drivers of species loss. Emergent infection with the microsporidian Nosema bombi has been implicated in the population and range declines of a suite of North American bumblebees, a group of important pollinators. Previous work has shown that phytochemicals found in pollen and nectar can negatively impact parasites in individuals, but how this relates to social epidemiology and by extension whether plants can be effectively used as pollinator disease management strategies remains unexplored. Here, we undertook a comprehensive screen of UK agri-environment scheme (AES) plants, a programme designed to benefit pollinators and wider biodiversity in agricultural settings, for phytochemicals in pollen and nectar using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Caffeine, which occurs across a range of plant families, was identified in the nectar of sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia), a component of UK AES and a major global crop. We showed that caffeine significantly reduces N. bombi infection intensity, both prophylactically and therapeutically, in individual bumblebees (Bombus terrestris), and, for the first time, that such effects impact social epidemiology, with colonies reared from wild-caught queens having both lower prevalence and intensity of infection. Furthermore, infection prevalence was lower in foraging bumblebees from caffeine-treated colonies, suggesting a likely reduction in population-level transmission. Combined, these results show that N. bombi is less likely to be transmitted intracolonially when bumblebees consume naturally available caffeine, and that this may in turn reduce environmental prevalence. Consequently, our results demonstrate that floral phytochemicals at ecologically relevant concentrations can impact pollinator disease epidemiology and that planting strategies that increase floral abundance to support biodiversity could be co-opted as disease management tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arran J. Folly
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK
| | | | | | - Philip C. Stevenson
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Kent, UK
| | - Mark J. F. Brown
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK
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31
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Martin CD, Fountain MT, Brown MJF. The potential for parasite spill-back from commercial bumblebee colonies: a neglected threat to wild bees? JOURNAL OF INSECT CONSERVATION 2021; 25:531-539. [PMID: 34720661 PMCID: PMC8550768 DOI: 10.1007/s10841-021-00322-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Commercially-reared bumblebee colonies provide pollination services to numerous crop species globally. These colonies may harbour parasites which can spill-over to wild bee species. However, the potential for parasites to spread from wild to commercial bumblebees, which could then lead to parasite spill-back, is poorly understood. To investigate this, parasite-free commercial Bombus terrestris audax colonies, which are used commercially for strawberry pollination, were placed into seasonal strawberry crops for either 6- or 8-week blocks across two key time periods, early spring and early summer. Bumblebees were removed from colonies weekly and screened for the presence of parasites. In the early spring placement, only one parasite, the highly virulent neogregarine Apicystis bombi, was detected at a low prevalence (0.46% across all bees screened). In contrast, all colonies placed in the crop in the early summer became infected. A trypanosome, Crithidia bombi, and A. bombi were the most prevalent parasites across all samples, reaching peak prevalence in screened bees of 39.39% and 18.18% respectively at the end of the experimental period. The prevalence of A. bombi was greater than most UK records from wild bumblebees, suggesting that commercial colonies could enhance levels of A. bombi infection in wild bees through spill-back. Studies on larger geographical scales with different commercial colony densities are required to fully assess spill-back risk. However, seasonal management, to minimise spill-back opportunities, and treatment of commercial colonies to prevent infection, could be implemented to manage the potential risks of parasite spill-back to wild bees. Implications for insect conservation Our results show that commercial bumblebee populations do pick up infections, most likely from wild bees, and that these infections can reach prevalences where they may pose a threat to wild bees via parasite spill-back. More research is required to clarify the extent of this potential threat. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10841-021-00322-x.
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Affiliation(s)
- Callum D. Martin
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX UK
| | | | - Mark J. F. Brown
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX UK
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32
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Mola JM, Richardson LL, Spyreas G, Zaya DN, Pearse IS. Long‐term surveys support declines in early season forest plants used by bumblebees. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John M. Mola
- U.S. Geological SurveyFort Collins Science Center Fort Collins CO USA
| | | | - Greg Spyreas
- Illinois Natural History SurveyUniversity of Illinois Champaign IL USA
| | - David N. Zaya
- Illinois Natural History SurveyUniversity of Illinois Champaign IL USA
| | - Ian S. Pearse
- U.S. Geological SurveyFort Collins Science Center Fort Collins CO USA
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33
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Calhoun AC, Harrod AE, Bassingthwaite TA, Sadd BM. Testing the multiple stressor hypothesis: chlorothalonil exposure alters transmission potential of a bumblebee pathogen but not individual host health. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20202922. [PMID: 33784861 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous threats are putting pollinator health and essential ecosystem pollination services in jeopardy. Although individual threats are widely studied, their co-occurrence may exacerbate negative effects, as posited by the multiple stressor hypothesis. A prominent branch of this hypothesis concerns pesticide-pathogen co-exposure. A landscape analysis demonstrated a positive association between local chlorothalonil fungicide use and microsporidian pathogen (Nosema bombi) prevalence in declining bumblebee species (Bombus spp.), suggesting an interaction deserving further investigation. We tested the multiple stressor hypothesis with field-realistic chlorothalonil and N. bombi exposures in worker-produced B. impatiens microcolonies. Chlorothalonil was not avoided in preference assays, setting the stage for pesticide-pathogen co-exposure. However, contrary to the multiple stressor hypothesis, co-exposure did not affect survival. Bees showed surprising tolerance to Nosema infection, which was also unaffected by chlorothalonil exposure. However, previously fungicide-exposed infected bees carried more transmission-ready spores. Our use of a non-declining bumblebee and potential higher chlorothalonil exposures under some scenarios could mean stronger individual or interactive effects in certain field settings. Yet, our results alone suggest consequences of pesticide co-exposure for pathogen dynamics in host communities. This underlies the importance of considering both within- and between-host processes when addressing the multiple stressor hypothesis in relation to pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin C Calhoun
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790, USA
| | - Audrey E Harrod
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790, USA
| | | | - Ben M Sadd
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790, USA
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34
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Bartolomé C, Jabal-Uriel C, Buendía-Abad M, Benito M, Ornosa C, De la Rúa P, Martín-Hernández R, Higes M, Maside X. Wide diversity of parasites in Bombus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758) revealed by a high-throughput sequencing approach. Environ Microbiol 2020; 23:478-483. [PMID: 33225560 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Assessing the extent of parasite diversity requires the application of appropriate molecular tools, especially given the growing evidence of multiple parasite co-occurrence. Here, we compared the performance of a next-generation sequencing technology (Ion PGM ™ System) in 12 Bombus terrestris specimens that were PCR-identified as positive for trypanosomatids (Leishmaniinae) in a previous study. These bumblebees were also screened for the occurrence of Nosematidae and Neogregarinorida parasites using both classical protocols (either specific PCR amplification or amplification with broad-range primers plus Sanger sequencing) and Ion PGM sequencing. The latter revealed higher parasite diversity within individuals, especially among Leishmaniinae (which were present as a combination of Lotmaria passim, Crithidia mellificae and Crithidia bombi), and the occurrence of taxa never reported in these hosts: Crithidia acanthocephali and a novel neogregarinorida species. Furthermore, the complementary results produced by the different sets of primers highlighted the convenience of using multiple markers to minimize the chance of some target organisms going unnoticed. Altogether, the deep sequencing methodology offered a more comprehensive way to investigate parasite diversity than the usual identification methods and provided new insights whose importance for bumblebee health should be further analysed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Bartolomé
- Grupo de Medicina Xenómica, CIMUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, 15782, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, 15706, Spain
| | - Clara Jabal-Uriel
- Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal (IRIAF), Laboratorio de Patología Apícola, Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental (CIAPA), Consejería de Agricultura de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, Marchamalo, 19180, Spain
| | - María Buendía-Abad
- Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal (IRIAF), Laboratorio de Patología Apícola, Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental (CIAPA), Consejería de Agricultura de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, Marchamalo, 19180, Spain
| | - María Benito
- Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal (IRIAF), Laboratorio de Patología Apícola, Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental (CIAPA), Consejería de Agricultura de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, Marchamalo, 19180, Spain
| | - Concepción Ornosa
- Departamento de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, 28040, Spain
| | - Pilar De la Rúa
- Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, 30100, Spain
| | - Raquel Martín-Hernández
- Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal (IRIAF), Laboratorio de Patología Apícola, Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental (CIAPA), Consejería de Agricultura de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, Marchamalo, 19180, Spain.,Instituto de Recursos Humanos para la Ciencia y la Tecnología, Fundación Parque Científico Tecnológico de Albacete, Albacete, 02006, Spain
| | - Mariano Higes
- Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal (IRIAF), Laboratorio de Patología Apícola, Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental (CIAPA), Consejería de Agricultura de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, Marchamalo, 19180, Spain
| | - Xulio Maside
- Grupo de Medicina Xenómica, CIMUS, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, 15782, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, 15706, Spain
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35
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Suzuki-Ohno Y, Yokoyama J, Nakashizuka T, Kawata M. Estimating possible bumblebee range shifts in response to climate and land cover changes. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19622. [PMID: 33184331 PMCID: PMC7661518 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76164-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Wild bee decline has been reported worldwide. Some bumblebee species (Bombus spp.) have declined in Europe and North America, and their ranges have shrunk due to climate and land cover changes. In countries with limited historical and current occurrence data, it is often difficult to investigate bumblebee range shifts. Here we estimated the past/present distributions of six major bumblebee species in Japan with species distribution modeling using current occurrence data and past/present climate and land cover data. The differences identified between estimated past and present distributions indicate possible range shifts. The estimated ranges of B. diversus, B. hypocrita, B. ignitus, B. honshuensis, and B. beaticola shrank over the past 26 years, but that of B. ardens expanded. The lower altitudinal limits of the estimated ranges became higher as temperature increased. When focusing on the effects of land cover change, the estimated range of B. diversus slightly shrank due to an increase in forest area. Such increase in forest area may result from the abandonment of agricultural lands and the extension of the rotation time of planted coniferous forests and secondary forests. Managing old planted coniferous forests and secondary forests will be key to bumblebee conservation for adaptation to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukari Suzuki-Ohno
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-3 Aoba, Aramaki-aza, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8578, Japan.
| | - Jun Yokoyama
- Faculty of Science, Yamagata University, 1-4-12 Kojirakawa, Yamagata-shi, Yamagata, 990-8560, Japan
| | - Tohru Nakashizuka
- Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, 457-4 Motoyama, Kamigamo, Kita-ku, Kyoto, 603-8047, Japan.,Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 1 Matsunosato, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan
| | - Masakado Kawata
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-3 Aoba, Aramaki-aza, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8578, Japan
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36
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Parasite defense mechanisms in bees: behavior, immunity, antimicrobials, and symbionts. Emerg Top Life Sci 2020; 4:59-76. [PMID: 32558901 DOI: 10.1042/etls20190069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Revised: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Parasites are linked to the decline of some bee populations; thus, understanding defense mechanisms has important implications for bee health. Recent advances have improved our understanding of factors mediating bee health ranging from molecular to landscape scales, but often as disparate literatures. Here, we bring together these fields and summarize our current understanding of bee defense mechanisms including immunity, immunization, and transgenerational immune priming in social and solitary species. Additionally, the characterization of microbial diversity and function in some bee taxa has shed light on the importance of microbes for bee health, but we lack information that links microbial communities to parasite infection in most bee species. Studies are beginning to identify how bee defense mechanisms are affected by stressors such as poor-quality diets and pesticides, but further research on this topic is needed. We discuss how integrating research on host traits, microbial partners, and nutrition, as well as improving our knowledge base on wild and semi-social bees, will help inform future research, conservation efforts, and management.
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37
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Chen L, Gao X, Li R, Zhang L, Huang R, Wang L, Song Y, Xing Z, Liu T, Nie X, Nie F, Hua S, Zhang Z, Wang F, Ma RZ, Zhang L. Complete genome of a unicellular parasite ( Antonospora locustae) and transcriptional interactions with its host locust. Microb Genom 2020; 6:mgen000421. [PMID: 32783805 PMCID: PMC7643970 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Microsporidia are a large group of unicellular parasites that infect insects and mammals. The simpler life cycle of microsporidia in insects provides a model system for understanding their evolution and molecular interactions with their hosts. However, no complete genome is available for insect-parasitic microsporidian species. The complete genome of Antonospora locustae, a microsporidian parasite that obligately infects insects, is reported here. The genome size of A. locustae is 3 170 203 nucleotides, composed of 17 chromosomes onto which a total of 1857 annotated genes have been mapped and detailed. A unique feature of the A. locustae genome is the presence of an ultra-low GC region of approximately 25 kb on 16 of the 17 chromosomes, in which the average GC content is only 20 %. Transcription profiling indicated that the ultra-low GC region of the parasite could be associated with differential regulation of host defences in the fat body to promote the parasite's survival and propagation. Phylogenetic gene analysis showed that A. locustae, and the microsporidian family in general, is likely at an evolutionarily transitional position between prokaryotes and eukaryotes, and that it evolved independently. Transcriptomic analysis showed that A. locustae can systematically inhibit the locust phenoloxidase PPO, TCA and glyoxylate cycles, and PPAR pathways to escape melanization, and can activate host energy transfer pathways to support its reproduction in the fat body, which is an insect energy-producing organ. Our study provides a platform and model for studies of the molecular mechanisms of microsporidium-host interactions in an energy-producing organ and for understanding the evolution of microsporidia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longxin Chen
- Key Laboratory for Biological Control, The Ministry of Agriculture of China, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China
- Molecular Biology Laboratory, Zhengzhou Normal University, Zhengzhou 450044, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Protein and Peptide Pharmaceuticals, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China
| | - Xingke Gao
- Key Laboratory for Biological Control, The Ministry of Agriculture of China, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Runting Li
- Molecular Biology Laboratory, Zhengzhou Normal University, Zhengzhou 450044, PR China
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, PR China
| | - Limeng Zhang
- Molecular Biology Laboratory, Zhengzhou Normal University, Zhengzhou 450044, PR China
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, PR China
| | - Rui Huang
- State Key Laboratory for Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
| | - Linqing Wang
- Molecular Biology Laboratory, Zhengzhou Normal University, Zhengzhou 450044, PR China
| | - Yue Song
- Molecular Biology Laboratory, Zhengzhou Normal University, Zhengzhou 450044, PR China
| | - Zhenzhen Xing
- Molecular Biology Laboratory, Zhengzhou Normal University, Zhengzhou 450044, PR China
| | - Ting Liu
- Molecular Biology Laboratory, Zhengzhou Normal University, Zhengzhou 450044, PR China
| | - Xiaoning Nie
- Molecular Biology Laboratory, Zhengzhou Normal University, Zhengzhou 450044, PR China
| | - Fangyuan Nie
- State Key Laboratory for Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
| | - Shuang Hua
- Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130112, PR China
| | - Zihan Zhang
- Molecular Biology Laboratory, Zhengzhou Normal University, Zhengzhou 450044, PR China
| | - Feng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Protein and Peptide Pharmaceuticals, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China
| | - Runlin Z. Ma
- Molecular Biology Laboratory, Zhengzhou Normal University, Zhengzhou 450044, PR China
- State Key Laboratory for Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
| | - Long Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Biological Control, The Ministry of Agriculture of China, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China
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38
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Graves TA, Janousek WM, Gaulke SM, Nicholas AC, Keinath DA, Bell CM, Cannings S, Hatfield RG, Heron JM, Koch JB, Loffland HL, Richardson LL, Rohde AT, Rykken J, Strange JP, Tronstad LM, Sheffield CS. Western bumble bee: declines in the continental United States and range‐wide information gaps. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Tabitha A. Graves
- U.S. Geological Survey Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center Glacier Field Station, 38 Mather Drive West Glacier Montana 59936 USA
| | - William M. Janousek
- U.S. Geological Survey Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center Glacier Field Station, 38 Mather Drive West Glacier Montana 59936 USA
| | - Sarah M. Gaulke
- U.S. Geological Survey Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center Glacier Field Station, 38 Mather Drive West Glacier Montana 59936 USA
| | - Amy C. Nicholas
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 334 Parsley Blvd Cheyenne Wyoming 82007 USA
| | - Douglas A. Keinath
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 334 Parsley Blvd Cheyenne Wyoming 82007 USA
| | - Christine M. Bell
- Wyoming Natural Diversity Database University of Wyoming Laramie Wyoming 82071 USA
| | - Syd Cannings
- Environment and Climate Change Canada Canadian Wildlife Service Whitehorse Y1A 5B7 Canada
| | | | - Jennifer M. Heron
- Conservation Science Section British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy Suite 200, 10428, 153rd Street Surrey British Columbia V3R 1E1 Canada
| | - Jonathan B. Koch
- Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science Graduate Program University of Hawai‘i, Hilo 200 W. Kāwili Street Hilo Hawaii 96720 USA
- Pollinating Insects ‐ Biology, Management, and Systematics Research Unit U.S. Department of Agriculture ‐ Agricultural Research Service 1410 N 800 E Logan Utah 84341 USA
| | - Helen L. Loffland
- The Institute for Bird Populations PO Box 1346 Point Reyes Station California 94956 USA
| | - Leif L. Richardson
- Gund Institute for Environment Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources University of Vermont Burlington Vermont 05405 USA
| | - Ashley T. Rohde
- Department of Wildland Resources Utah State University 5200 Old Main Hill Logan Utah84322 USA
| | - Jessica Rykken
- Denali National Park and Preserve PO Box 9 Denali Park Alaska 99755 USA
| | - James P. Strange
- Entomology Department The Ohio State University 216 Kottman Hall Columbus Ohio 43210 USA
| | - Lusha M. Tronstad
- Wyoming Natural Diversity Database University of Wyoming Laramie Wyoming 82071 USA
| | - Cory S. Sheffield
- Royal Saskatchewan Museum 2340 Albert Street Regina Saskatchewan S4P 2V7 Canada
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Dharampal PS, Diaz-Garcia L, Haase MAB, Zalapa J, Currie CR, Hittinger CT, Steffan SA. Microbial Diversity Associated with the Pollen Stores of Captive-Bred Bumble Bee Colonies. INSECTS 2020; 11:insects11040250. [PMID: 32316296 PMCID: PMC7240610 DOI: 10.3390/insects11040250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The pollen stores of bumble bees host diverse microbiota that influence overall colony fitness. Yet, the taxonomic identity of these symbiotic microbes is relatively unknown. In this descriptive study, we characterized the microbial community of pollen provisions within captive-bred bumble bee hives obtained from two commercial suppliers located in North America. Findings from 16S rRNA and ITS gene-based analyses revealed that pollen provisions from the captive-bred hives shared several microbial taxa that have been previously detected among wild populations. While diverse microbes across phyla Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Ascomycota were detected in all commercial hives, significant differences were detected at finer-scale taxonomic resolution based on the supplier source. The causative agent of chalkbrood disease in honey bees, Ascosphaera apis, was detected in all hives obtained from one supplier source, although none of the hives showed symptoms of infection. The shared core microbiota across both commercial supplier sources consisted of two ubiquitous bee-associated groups, Lactobacillus and Wickerhamiella/Starmerella clade yeasts that potentially contribute to the beneficial function of the microbiome of bumble bee pollen provisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prarthana S. Dharampal
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA;
- Correspondence:
| | - Luis Diaz-Garcia
- Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; (L.D.-G.); (J.Z.)
- Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agricolas y Pecuarias, Aguascalientes 20676, Mexico
| | - Max A. B. Haase
- Laboratory of Genetics, Genome Center of Wisconsin, DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Wisconsin Energy Institute, J. F. Crow Institute for the Study of Evolution, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; (M.A.B.H.); (C.T.H.)
| | - Juan Zalapa
- Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; (L.D.-G.); (J.Z.)
- USDA-ARS, Vegetable Crop Research Unit, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Cameron R. Currie
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA;
| | - Chris Todd Hittinger
- Laboratory of Genetics, Genome Center of Wisconsin, DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Wisconsin Energy Institute, J. F. Crow Institute for the Study of Evolution, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; (M.A.B.H.); (C.T.H.)
| | - Shawn A. Steffan
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA;
- USDA-ARS, Vegetable Crop Research Unit, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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40
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Mullins JL, Strange JP, Tripodi AD. Why Are Queens Broodless? Failed Nest Initiation Not Linked to Parasites, Mating Status, or Ovary Development in Two Bumble Bee Species of Pyrobombus (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus). JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 113:575-581. [PMID: 31814010 DOI: 10.1093/jee/toz330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Bumble bees (Bombus [Hymenoptera: Apidae]) are important pollinators for agricultural crops, which has led to their commercial domestication. Despite their importance, little is known about the reproductive biology of bumble bees native to North America. The Hunt bumble bee (Bombus huntii Greene [Hymenoptera: Apidae]) and the Vosnesensky bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii Radoszkowski [Hymenoptera: Apidae] are native candidates for commercial production in western North America due to their efficacy in providing commercial pollination services. Availability of pollinators native to the region in which services would be provided would minimize the likelihood of introducing exotic species and spreading novel disease. Some parasites are known to affect bumble bee reproduction, but little is known about their prevalence in North America or how they affect queen success. Only 38% of wild-caught B. huntii and 51% wild-caught B. vosnesenskii queens collected between 2015 and 2017 initiated nests in the laboratory. Our objective was to identify causal factors leading to a queen's inability to oviposit. To address this, we dissected each broodless queen and diagnosed diseases, assessed mating status, and characterized ovary development. Nematodes, arthropods, and microorganisms were detected in both species. Overall, 20% of queens were infected by parasites, with higher rates in B. vosnesenskii. Over 95% of both species were mated, and over 88% had developed ovaries. This suggests that parasitism and mating status were not primary causes of broodlessness. Although some failure to nest can be attributed to assessed factors, additional research is needed to fully understand the challenges presented by captive rearing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Mullins
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service-Pollinating Insects Research Unit, Logan, UT
- University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, 265 UCB-MCOL, Boulder, CO
| | - James P Strange
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service-Pollinating Insects Research Unit, Logan, UT
- Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, 216 Kottman Hall, Columbus, OH
| | - Amber D Tripodi
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service-Pollinating Insects Research Unit, Logan, UT
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41
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Folly AJ, Stevenson PC, Brown MJF. Age-related pharmacodynamics in a bumblebee-microsporidian system mirror similar patterns in vertebrates. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 223:jeb.217828. [PMID: 32107305 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.217828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 02/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Immune systems provide a key defence against diseases. However, they are not a panacea and so both vertebrates and invertebrates co-opt naturally occurring bioactive compounds to treat themselves against parasites and pathogens. In vertebrates, this co-option is complex, with pharmacodynamics leading to differential effects of treatment at different life stages, which may reflect age-linked differences in the immune system. However, our understanding of pharmacodynamics in invertebrates is almost non-existent. Critically, this knowledge may elucidate broad parallels across animals in regard to the requirement for the co-option of bioactive compounds to ameliorate disease. Here, we used biochanin A, an isoflavone found in the pollen of red clover (Trifolium pratense), to therapeutically treat Nosema bombi (Microsporidia) infection in bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) larvae and adults, and thus examine age-linked pharmacodynamics in an invertebrate. Therapeutic treatment of larvae with biochanin A did not reduce the infection intensity of N. bombi in adults. In contrast, therapeutic treatment of adults did reduce the infection intensity of N. bombi This transition in parasite resistance to bioactive compounds mirrors the age-linked pharmacodynamics of vertebrates. Understanding how different life-history stages respond to therapeutic compounds will provide novel insights into the evolution of foraging and self-medication behaviour in natural systems more broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arran J Folly
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EY, UK .,Animal and Plant Health Agency, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, UK
| | - Philip C Stevenson
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, London TW9 3AE, UK.,Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, Kent ME4 4TB, UK
| | - Mark J F Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EY, UK
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42
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Adler LS, Fowler AE, Malfi RL, Anderson PR, Coppinger LM, Deneen PM, Lopez S, Irwin RE, Farrell IW, Stevenson PC. Assessing Chemical Mechanisms Underlying the Effects of Sunflower Pollen on a Gut Pathogen in Bumble Bees. J Chem Ecol 2020; 46:649-658. [DOI: 10.1007/s10886-020-01168-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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43
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Kato Y, Yanagisawa T, Nakai M, Komatsu K, Inoue MN. Direct and sensitive detection of a microsporidian parasite of bumblebees using loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). Sci Rep 2020; 10:1118. [PMID: 31980702 PMCID: PMC6981208 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-57909-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The reduction of bumblebee populations has been reported in the last decades, and the microsporidian parasite Nosema bombi is considered as one of the factors contributing to such reduction. Although the decline of bee populations affects both wild plants and human food supply, the effects of Nosema spp. infections are not known because it is difficult to obtain infective spores from wild bees due to their low prevalence. Microscopical observation of fecal samples or midgut homogenates and/or PCR are generally used for N. bombi detection. However, the germination rate of microsporidian spore declines if they are kept at 4 °C for a long time or frozen. It is therefore crucial to minimize the diagnosis and isolation time of infective spores from field-collected samples. Therefore, we performed a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the direct detection of N. bombi in bumblebee midgut homogenates. Using this method, we could detect N. bombi from individuals from which it was visible under the microscope and directly from wild individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuto Kato
- Department of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan
| | - Takahiro Yanagisawa
- Department of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan
| | - Madoka Nakai
- Department of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan
| | - Ken Komatsu
- Department of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan
| | - Maki N Inoue
- Department of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan.
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44
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Abstract
Bumble bees (Bombus) are unusually important pollinators, with approximately 260 wild species native to all biogeographic regions except sub-Saharan Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. As they are vitally important in natural ecosystems and to agricultural food production globally, the increase in reports of declining distribution and abundance over the past decade has led to an explosion of interest in bumble bee population decline. We summarize data on the threat status of wild bumble bee species across biogeographic regions, underscoring regions lacking assessment data. Focusing on data-rich studies, we also synthesize recent research on potential causes of population declines. There is evidence that habitat loss, changing climate, pathogen transmission, invasion of nonnative species, and pesticides, operating individually and in combination, negatively impact bumble bee health, and that effects may depend on species and locality. We distinguish between correlational and causal results, underscoring the importance of expanding experimental research beyond the study of two commercially available species to identify causal factors affecting the diversity of wild species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydney A Cameron
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA;
| | - Ben M Sadd
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois 61790, USA;
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45
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Abstract
Insect declines are being reported worldwide for flying, ground, and aquatic lineages. Most reports come from western and northern Europe, where the insect fauna is well-studied and there are considerable demographic data for many taxonomically disparate lineages. Additional cases of faunal losses have been noted from Asia, North America, the Arctic, the Neotropics, and elsewhere. While this review addresses both species loss and population declines, its emphasis is on the latter. Declines of abundant species can be especially worrisome, given that they anchor trophic interactions and shoulder many of the essential ecosystem services of their respective communities. A review of the factors believed to be responsible for observed collapses and those perceived to be especially threatening to insects form the core of this treatment. In addition to widely recognized threats to insect biodiversity, e.g., habitat destruction, agricultural intensification (including pesticide use), climate change, and invasive species, this assessment highlights a few less commonly considered factors such as atmospheric nitrification from the burning of fossil fuels and the effects of droughts and changing precipitation patterns. Because the geographic extent and magnitude of insect declines are largely unknown, there is an urgent need for monitoring efforts, especially across ecological gradients, which will help to identify important causal factors in declines. This review also considers the status of vertebrate insectivores, reporting bias, challenges inherent in collecting and interpreting insect demographic data, and cases of increasing insect abundance.
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Affiliation(s)
- David L Wagner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA;
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46
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Habitat Preference and Phenology of Nest Seeking and Foraging Spring Bumble Bee Queens in Northeastern North America (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus). AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 2019. [DOI: 10.1674/0003-0031-182.2.131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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47
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The Absence of Nosema bombi in Bumblebees (Bombus spp.) on Farms in Michigan. AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 2019. [DOI: 10.1674/0003-0031-182.2.270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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48
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Belsky J, Joshi NK. Impact of Biotic and Abiotic Stressors on Managed and Feral Bees. INSECTS 2019; 10:E233. [PMID: 31374933 PMCID: PMC6723792 DOI: 10.3390/insects10080233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2019] [Revised: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Large-scale declines in bee abundance and species richness over the last decade have sounded an alarm, given the crucial pollination services that bees provide. Population dips have specifically been noted for both managed and feral bee species. The simultaneous increased cultivation of bee-dependent agricultural crops has given rise to additional concern. As a result, there has been a surge in scientific research investigating the potential stressors impacting bees. A group of environmental and anthropogenic stressors negatively impacting bees has been isolated. Habitat destruction has diminished the availability of bee floral resources and nest habitats, while massive monoculture plantings have limited bee access to a variety of pollens and nectars. The rapid spread and increased resistance buildup of various bee parasites, pathogens, and pests to current control methods are implicated in deteriorating bee health. Similarly, many pesticides that are widely applied on agricultural crops and within beehives are toxic to bees. The global distribution of honey bee colonies (including queens with attendant bees) and bumble bee colonies from crop to crop for pollination events has been linked with increased pathogen stress and increased competition with native bee species for limited resources. Climatic alterations have disrupted synchronous bee emergence with flower blooming and reduced the availability of diverse floral resources, leading to bee physiological adaptations. Interactions amongst multiple stressors have created colossal maladies hitting bees at one time, and in some cases delivering additive impacts. Initiatives including the development of wild flower plantings and assessment of pesticide toxicity to bees have been undertaken in efforts to ameliorate current bee declines. In this review, recent findings regarding the impact of these stressors on bees and strategies for mitigating them are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Belsky
- Department of Entomology, University of Arkansas, 319 Agricultural Building, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - Neelendra K Joshi
- Department of Entomology, University of Arkansas, 319 Agricultural Building, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA.
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Michaud KM, Irwin RE, Barber NA, Adler LS. Preinfection Effects of Nectar Secondary Compounds on a Bumble Bee Gut Pathogen. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2019; 48:685-690. [PMID: 30855085 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvz018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Bumble bee pollinators can be exposed to pathogens when foraging on flowers previously visited by infected individuals. Infectious cells may be deposited in floral nectar, providing a site for pathogens to interact with nectar secondary compounds prior to infecting bees. Some nectar secondary compounds can reduce pathogen counts in infected bumble bees, but we know less about how exposure to these compounds directly affects pathogens prior to being ingested by their host. We exposed the trypanosomatid gut pathogen, Crithidia bombi (Lipa & Triggiani 1988) (Trypanosomatida: Trypanosomatidae), to six different compounds found in nectar (aucubin, catalpol, nicotine, thymol, anabasine, and citric acid) for 1-h prior to ingestion by Bombus impatiens (Cresson 1863) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) workers that were then reared for 1 wk on a control diet. All of these compounds except citric acid reduce pathogen levels when consumed in hosts after infection, and citric acid is a common preservative found in citrus fruits and some honeys. We found that both citric acid and aucubin reduced Crithidia cell counts compared with controls. However, catalpol, nicotine, thymol, and anabasine did not have significant effects on Crithidia levels. These results suggest that Crithidia exposure in some floral nectars may reduce cell viability, resulting in a lower risk to visiting pollinators, but this effect may not be widespread across all flowering species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rebecca E Irwin
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
| | - Nicholas A Barber
- Department of Biology & Ecology Program Area, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
| | - Lynn S Adler
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
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The expanding Pacific Northwest range of Bombus impatiens Cresson and its establishment in Washington State. Biol Invasions 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-019-01970-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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