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Anjum SI, Ullah A, Gohar F, Raza G, Khan MI, Hameed M, Ali A, Chen CC, Tlak Gajger I. Bee pollen as a food and feed supplement and a therapeutic remedy: recent trends in nanotechnology. Front Nutr 2024; 11:1371672. [PMID: 38899322 PMCID: PMC11186459 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1371672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Pollen grains are the male reproductive part of the flowering plants. It is collected by forager honey bees and mixed with their salivary secretions, enzymes, and nectar, which form fermented pollen or "bee bread" which is stored in cells of wax honeycombs. Bee pollen (BP) is a valuable apitherapeutic product and is considered a nutritional healthy food appreciated by natural medicine from ancient times. Recently, BP has been considered a beneficial food supplement and a value-added product that contains approximately 250 different bioactive components. It contains numerous beneficial elements such as Mg, Ca, Mn, K, and phenolic compounds. BP possesses strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiviral, analgesic, immunostimulant, neuroprotective, anti-cancer, and hepatoprotective properties. It is used for different purposes for the welfare of mankind. Additionally, there is a growing interest in honey bee products harvesting and utilizing for many purposes as a natural remedy and nutritive function. In this review, the impacts of BP on different organisms in different ways by highlighting its apitherapeutic efficacy are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syed Ishtiaq Anjum
- Department of Zoology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Amjad Ullah
- Department of Zoology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
- Department of Plant Protection, Ministry of National Food Security and Research, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Faryal Gohar
- Department of Zoology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Ghulam Raza
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Baltistan, Skardu, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Ilyas Khan
- Department of Zoology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Mehwish Hameed
- Department of Zoology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Abid Ali
- Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Chien-Chin Chen
- Department of Pathology, Ditmanson Medical Foundation Chia-Yi Christian Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan
- Department of Cosmetic Science, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Tainan, Taiwan
- Ph.D. Program in Translational Medicine, Rong Hsing Research Center for Translational Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioindustry Sciences, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Biotechnology Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Ivana Tlak Gajger
- Department for Biology and Pathology of Fish and Bees, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
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2
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Fowler AE, McFrederick QS, Adler LS. Pollen Diet Diversity does not Affect Gut Bacterial Communities or Melanization in a Social and Solitary Bee Species. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2024; 87:25. [PMID: 38165515 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-023-02323-6] [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: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Pollinators face many stressors, including reduced floral diversity. A low-diversity diet can impair organisms' ability to cope with additional stressors, such as pathogens, by altering the gut microbiome and/or immune function, but these effects are understudied for most pollinators. We investigated the impact of pollen diet diversity on two ecologically and economically important generalist pollinators, the social bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) and the solitary alfalfa leafcutter bee (Megachile rotundata). We experimentally tested the effect of one-, two-, or three-species pollen diets on gut bacterial communities in both species, and the melanization immune response in B. impatiens. Pollen diets included dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina), and hawthorn (Crataegus sp.) alone, each pair-wise combination, or a mix of all three species. We fed bees their diet for 7 days and then dissected out guts and sequenced 16S rRNA gene amplicons to characterize gut bacterial communities. To assess melanization in B. impatiens, we inserted microfilament implants into the bee abdomen and measured melanin deposition on the implant. We found that pollen diet did not influence gut bacterial communities in M. rotundata. In B. impatiens, pollen diet composition, but not diversity, affected gut bacterial richness in older, but not newly-emerged bees. Pollen diet did not affect the melanization response in B. impatiens. Our results suggest that even a monofloral, low-quality pollen diet such as dandelion can support diverse gut bacterial communities in captive-reared adults of these bee species. These findings shed light on the effects of reduced diet diversity on bee health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison E Fowler
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA.
- Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute, 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20008, USA.
| | - Quinn S McFrederick
- Department of Entomology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Lynn S Adler
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
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3
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Ponton F, Tan YX, Forster CC, Austin AJ, English S, Cotter SC, Wilson K. The complex interactions between nutrition, immunity and infection in insects. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245714. [PMID: 38095228 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245714] [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] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Insects are the most diverse animal group on the planet. Their success is reflected by the diversity of habitats in which they live. However, these habitats have undergone great changes in recent decades; understanding how these changes affect insect health and fitness is an important challenge for insect conservation. In this Review, we focus on the research that links the nutritional environment with infection and immune status in insects. We first discuss the research from the field of nutritional immunology, and we then investigate how factors such as intracellular and extracellular symbionts, sociality and transgenerational effects may interact with the connection between nutrition and immunity. We show that the interactions between nutrition and resistance can be highly specific to insect species and/or infection type - this is almost certainly due to the diversity of insect social interactions and life cycles, and the varied environments in which insects live. Hence, these connections cannot be easily generalised across insects. We finally suggest that other environmental aspects - such as the use of agrochemicals and climatic factors - might also influence the interaction between nutrition and resistance, and highlight how research on these is essential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fleur Ponton
- School of Natural Sciences , Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Yin Xun Tan
- School of Natural Sciences , Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Casey C Forster
- School of Natural Sciences , Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia
| | | | - Sinead English
- School of Biological Sciences , University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1QU, UK
| | | | - Kenneth Wilson
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK
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4
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Blubaugh CK, Jones CR, Josefson C, Scoles GA, Snyder WE, Owen JP. Omnivore diet composition alters parasite resistance and host condition. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:2175-2188. [PMID: 37732627 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Diet composition modulates animals' ability to resist parasites and recover from stress. Broader diet breadths enable omnivores to mount dynamic responses to parasite attack, but little is known about how plant/prey mixing might influence responses to infection. Using omnivorous deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) as a model, we examine how varying plant and prey concentrations in blended diets influence resistance and body condition following infestation by Rocky Mountain wood ticks (Dermacentor andersoni). In two repeated experiments, deer mice fed for 4 weeks on controlled diets that varied in proportions of seeds and insects were then challenged with 50 tick larvae in two sequential infestations. The numbers of ticks successfully feeding on mice declined by 25% and 66% after the first infestation (in the first and second experiments, respectively), reflecting a pattern of acquired resistance, and resistance was strongest when plant/prey ratios were more equally balanced in mouse diets, relative to seed-dominated diets. Diet also dramatically impacted the capacity of mice to cope with tick infestations. Mice fed insect-rich diets lost 15% of their body weight when parasitized by ticks, while mice fed seed-rich diets lost no weight at all. While mounting/maintaining an immune response may be energetically demanding, mice may compensate for parasitism with fat and carbohydrate-rich diets. Altogether, these results suggest that a diverse nutritional landscape may be key in enabling omnivores' resistance and resilience to infection and immune stressors in their environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen K Blubaugh
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Cami R Jones
- Department of Entomology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Chloe Josefson
- Department of Animal, Veterinary and Food Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Glen A Scoles
- Invasive Insect Biocontrol & Behavior Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, Maryland, USA
| | - William E Snyder
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Jeb P Owen
- Department of Entomology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
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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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Giacomini JJ, Adler LS, Reading BJ, Irwin RE. Differential bumble bee gene expression associated with pathogen infection and pollen diet. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:157. [PMID: 36991318 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09143-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Diet and parasitism can have powerful effects on host gene expression. However, how specific dietary components affect host gene expression that could feed back to affect parasitism is relatively unexplored in many wild species. Recently, it was discovered that consumption of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) pollen reduced severity of gut protozoan pathogen Crithidia bombi infection in Bombus impatiens bumble bees. Despite the dramatic and consistent medicinal effect of sunflower pollen, very little is known about the mechanism(s) underlying this effect. However, sunflower pollen extract increases rather than suppresses C. bombi growth in vitro, suggesting that sunflower pollen reduces C. bombi infection indirectly via changes in the host. Here, we analyzed whole transcriptomes of B. impatiens workers to characterize the physiological response to sunflower pollen consumption and C. bombi infection to isolate the mechanisms underlying the medicinal effect. B. impatiens workers were inoculated with either C. bombi cells (infected) or a sham control (un-infected) and fed either sunflower or wildflower pollen ad libitum. Whole abdominal gene expression profiles were then sequenced with Illumina NextSeq 500 technology. RESULTS Among infected bees, sunflower pollen upregulated immune transcripts, including the anti-microbial peptide hymenoptaecin, Toll receptors and serine proteases. In both infected and un-infected bees, sunflower pollen upregulated putative detoxification transcripts and transcripts associated with the repair and maintenance of gut epithelial cells. Among wildflower-fed bees, infected bees downregulated immune transcripts associated with phagocytosis and the phenoloxidase cascade. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these results indicate dissimilar immune responses between sunflower- and wildflower-fed bumble bees infected with C. bombi, a response to physical damage to gut epithelial cells caused by sunflower pollen, and a strong detoxification response to sunflower pollen consumption. Identifying host responses that drive the medicinal effect of sunflower pollen in infected bumble bees may broaden our understanding of plant-pollinator interactions and provide opportunities for effective management of bee pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan J Giacomini
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA.
| | - Lynn S Adler
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Benjamin J Reading
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Rebecca E Irwin
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
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7
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Verbeke S, Boeraeve M, Carpentier S, Jacquemyn H, Pozo MI. The impact of plant diversity and vegetation composition on bumblebee colony fitness. OIKOS 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sebastiaan Verbeke
- Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity Conservation, KU Leuven Leuven Belgium
| | - Margaux Boeraeve
- Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity Conservation, KU Leuven Leuven Belgium
| | - Sebastien Carpentier
- Division of Crop Biotechnics, Dept of Biosystems, KU Leuven Leuven Belgium
- SYBIOMA: Facility for Systems Biology Mass Spectrometry Leuven Belgium
| | - Hans Jacquemyn
- Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity Conservation, KU Leuven Leuven Belgium
| | - María I. Pozo
- Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity Conservation, KU Leuven Leuven Belgium
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8
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Fearon ML, Wood CL, Tibbetts EA. Habitat quality influences pollinator pathogen prevalence through both habitat-disease and biodiversity-disease pathways. Ecology 2023; 104:e3933. [PMID: 36448518 PMCID: PMC10078577 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
The dilution effect hypothesis posits that increasing biodiversity reduces infectious disease transmission. Here, we propose that habitat quality might modulate this negative biodiversity-disease relationship. Habitat may influence pathogen prevalence directly by affecting host traits like nutrition and immune response (we coined the term "habitat-disease relationship" to describe this phenomenon) or indirectly by changing host biodiversity (biodiversity-disease relationship). We used a path model to test the relative strength of links between habitat, biodiversity, and pathogen prevalence in a pollinator-virus system. High-quality habitat metrics were directly associated with viral prevalence, providing evidence for a habitat-disease relationship. However, the strength and direction of specific habitat effects on viral prevalence varied based on the characteristics of the habitat, host, and pathogen. In general, more natural area and richness of land-cover types were directly associated with increased viral prevalence, whereas greater floral density was associated with reduced viral prevalence. More natural habitat was also indirectly associated with reduced prevalence of two key viruses (black queen cell virus and deformed wing virus) via increased pollinator species richness, providing evidence for a habitat-mediated dilution effect on viral prevalence. Biodiversity-disease relationships varied across viruses, with the prevalence of sacbrood virus not being associated with any habitat quality or pollinator community metrics. Across all viruses and hosts, habitat-disease and biodiversity-disease paths had effects of similar magnitude on viral prevalence. Therefore, habitat quality is a key driver of variation in pathogen prevalence among communities via both direct habitat-disease and indirect biodiversity-disease pathways, though the specific patterns varied among different viruses and host species. Critically, habitat-disease relationships could either contribute to or obscure dilution effects in natural systems depending on the relative strength and direction of the habitat-disease and biodiversity-disease pathways in that host-pathogen system. Therefore, habitat may be an important driver in the complex interactions between hosts and pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle L Fearon
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Chelsea L Wood
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Tibbetts
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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9
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Chang H, Ding G, Jia G, Feng M, Huang J. Hemolymph Metabolism Analysis of Honey Bee ( Apis mellifera L.) Response to Different Bee Pollens. INSECTS 2022; 14:37. [PMID: 36661964 PMCID: PMC9861094 DOI: 10.3390/insects14010037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Pollen is essential to the development of honey bees. The nutrients in bee pollen vary greatly among plant species. Here, we analyzed the differences in the amino acid compositions of pear (Pyrus bretschneideri), rape (Brassica napus), and apricot (Armeniaca sibirica) pollens and investigated the variation in hemolymph metabolites and metabolic pathways through untargeted metabolomics in caged adult bees at days 7 and 14. The results showed that the levels of five essential amino acids (isoleucine, phenylalanine, lysine, methionine, and histidine) were the highest in pear pollen, and the levels of four amino acids (isoleucine: 50.75 ± 1.93 mg/kg, phenylalanine: 87.25 ± 2.66 mg/kg, methionine: 16.00 ± 0.71 mg/kg and histidine: 647.50 ± 24.80 mg/kg) were significantly higher in pear pollen than in the other two kinds of bee pollen (p < 0.05). The number of metabolites in bee hemolymph on day 14 (615) was significantly lower than that on day 7 (1466). The key metabolic pathways of bees, namely, “sphingolipid metabolism (p = 0.0091)”, “tryptophan metabolism (p = 0.0245)”, and “cysteine and methionine metabolism (p = 0.0277)”, were significantly affected on day 7. There was no meaningful pathway enrichment on day 14. In conclusion, pear pollen had higher nutritional value among the three bee pollens in terms of amino acid level, followed by rape and apricot pollen, and the difference in amino acid composition among bee pollens was reflected in the lipid and amino acid metabolism pathways of early adult honey bee hemolymph. This study provides new insights into the physiological and metabolic functions of different bee pollens in bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongcai Chang
- Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Guiling Ding
- Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Guangqun Jia
- Technology Center of Qinhuangdao Customs, Qinhuangdao 066004, China
| | - Mao Feng
- Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Jiaxing Huang
- Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
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10
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Biology, Genetic Diversity, and Conservation of Wild Bees in Tree Fruit Orchards. BIOLOGY 2022; 12:biology12010031. [PMID: 36671724 PMCID: PMC9854918 DOI: 10.3390/biology12010031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Different species of bees provide essential ecosystem services by pollinating various agricultural crops, including tree fruits. Many fruits and nuts depend on insect pollination, primarily by wild and managed bees. In different geographical regions where orchard crops are grown, fruit growers rely on wild bees in the farmscape and use orchard bees as alternative pollinators. Orchard crops such as apples, pears, plums, apricots, etc., are mass-flowering crops and attract many different bee species during their bloom period. Many bee species found in orchards emerge from overwintering as the fruit trees start flowering in spring, and the active duration of these bees aligns very closely with the blooming time of fruit trees. In addition, most of the bees in orchards are short-range foragers and tend to stay close to the fruit crops. However, the importance of orchard bee communities is not well understood, and many challenges in maintaining their populations remain. This comprehensive review paper summarizes the different types of bees commonly found in tree fruit orchards in the fruit-growing regions of the United States, their bio-ecology, and genetic diversity. Additionally, recommendations for the management of orchard bees, different strategies for protecting them from multiple stressors, and providing suitable on-farm nesting and floral resource habitats for propagation and conservation are discussed.
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Beckett K, Elle E, Kremen C, Sherwood A, McComb S, Martin TG. Hyperabundant black-tailed deer impact endangered Garry oak ecosystem floral and bumblebee communities. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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12
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Costa CP, Leza M, Duennes MA, Fisher K, Vollaro A, Hur M, Kirkwood JS, Woodard SH. Pollen diet mediates how pesticide exposure impacts brain gene expression in nest-founding bumble bee queens. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 833:155216. [PMID: 35421476 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
A primary goal in biology is to understand the effects of multiple, interacting environmental stressors on organisms. Wild and domesticated bees are exposed to a wide variety of interacting biotic and abiotic stressors, with widespread declines in floral resources and agrochemical exposure being two of the most important. In this study, we used examinations of brain gene expression to explore the sublethal consequences of neonicotinoid pesticide exposure and pollen diet composition in nest-founding bumble bee queens. We demonstrate for the first time that pollen diet composition can influence the strength of bumble bee queen responses to pesticide exposure at the molecular level. Specifically, one pollen mixture in our study appeared to buffer bumble bee queens entirely against the effects of pesticide exposure, with respect to brain gene expression. Additionally, we detected unique effects of pollen diet and sustained (versus more temporary) pesticide exposure on queen gene expression. Our findings support the hypothesis that nutritional status can help buffer animals against the harmful effects of other stressors, including pesticides, and highlight the importance of using molecular approaches to explore sublethal consequences of stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudineia P Costa
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA..
| | - Mar Leza
- Department of Biology (Zoology), University of the Balearic Islands, Cra, Valldemossa, Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
| | | | - Kaleigh Fisher
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Alyssa Vollaro
- IIGB Metabolomics Core Facility, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Manhoi Hur
- IIGB Metabolomics Core Facility, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Jay S Kirkwood
- IIGB Metabolomics Core Facility, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - S Hollis Woodard
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
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13
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Martin VN, Schaeffer RN, Fukami T. Potential effects of nectar microbes on pollinator health. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210155. [PMID: 35491594 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Floral nectar is prone to colonization by nectar-adapted yeasts and bacteria via air-, rain-, and animal-mediated dispersal. Upon colonization, microbes can modify nectar chemical constituents that are plant-provisioned or impart their own through secretion of metabolic by-products or antibiotics into the nectar environment. Such modifications can have consequences for pollinator perception of nectar quality, as microbial metabolism can leave a distinct imprint on olfactory and gustatory cues that inform foraging decisions. Furthermore, direct interactions between pollinators and nectar microbes, as well as consumption of modified nectar, have the potential to affect pollinator health both positively and negatively. Here, we discuss and integrate recent findings from research on plant-microbe-pollinator interactions and their consequences for pollinator health. We then explore future avenues of research that could shed light on the myriad ways in which nectar microbes can affect pollinator health, including the taxonomic diversity of vertebrate and invertebrate pollinators that rely on this reward. This article is part of the theme issue 'Natural processes influencing pollinator health: from chemistry to landscapes'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Tadashi Fukami
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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14
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Fowler AE, Sadd BM, Bassingthwaite T, Irwin RE, Adler LS. Consuming sunflower pollen reduced pathogen infection but did not alter measures of immunity in bumblebees. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210160. [PMID: 35491606 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Certain diets can benefit bee health by reducing pathogens, but the mechanism(s) driving these medicinal effects are largely unexplored. Recent research found that sunflower (Helianthus annuus) pollen reduces the gut pathogen Crithidia bombi in the common eastern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens). Here, we tested the effects of sunflower pollen and infection on two bee immune metrics to determine whether sunflower pollen diet drives changes in host immunity that can explain this medicinal effect. Bees were infected with C. bombi or not and given either sunflower or wildflower pollen. Subsequently, bees received a benign immune challenge or were left naive to test the induced and constitutive immune responses, respectively. We measured haemolymph phenoloxidase activity, involved in the melanization cascade, and antibacterial activity. Sunflower pollen reduced C. bombi infection, but we found no significant pollen diet effect on either immune measure. Phenoloxidase activity was also not affected by C. bombi infection status; however, uninfected bees were more likely to have measurable constitutive antibacterial activity, while infected bees had higher induced antibacterial activity. Overall, we found that sunflower pollen does not significantly affect the immune responses we measured, suggesting that the mechanisms underlying its medicinal effect do not involve these bee immune parameters. This article is part of the theme issue 'Natural processes influencing pollinator health: from chemistry to landscapes'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison E Fowler
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 221 Morrill Science Center South, 611 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Ben M Sadd
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790, USA
| | - Toby Bassingthwaite
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790, 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, 221 Morrill Science Center South, 611 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
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15
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Crone MK, Biddinger DJ, Grozinger CM. Wild Bee Nutritional Ecology: Integrative Strategies to Assess Foraging Preferences and Nutritional Requirements. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2022.847003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Bees depend on flowering plants for their nutrition, and reduced availability of floral resources is a major driver of declines in both managed and wild bee populations. Understanding the nutritional needs of different bee species, and how these needs are met by the varying nutritional resources provided by different flowering plant taxa, can greatly inform land management recommendations to support bee populations and their associated ecosystem services. However, most bee nutrition research has focused on the three most commonly managed and commercially reared bee taxa—honey bees, bumble bees, and mason bees—with fewer studies focused on wild bees and other managed species, such as leafcutting bees, stingless bees, and alkali bees. Thus, we have limited information about the nutritional requirements and foraging preferences of the vast majority of bee species. Here, we discuss the approaches traditionally used to understand bee nutritional ecology: identification of floral visitors of selected focal plant species, evaluation of the foraging preferences of adults in selected focal bee species, evaluation of the nutritional requirements of focal bee species (larvae or adults) in controlled settings, and examine how these methods may be adapted to study a wider range of bee species. We also highlight emerging technologies that have the potential to greatly facilitate studies of the nutritional ecology of wild bee species, as well as evaluate bee nutritional ecology at significantly larger spatio-temporal scales than were previously feasible. While the focus of this review is on bee species, many of these techniques can be applied to other pollinator taxa as well.
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16
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Honey bees and climate explain viral prevalence in wild bee communities on a continental scale. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1904. [PMID: 35115568 PMCID: PMC8814194 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05603-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Viruses are omnipresent, yet the knowledge on drivers of viral prevalence in wild host populations is often limited. Biotic factors, such as sympatric managed host species, as well as abiotic factors, such as climatic variables, are likely to impact viral prevalence. Managed and wild bees, which harbor several multi-host viruses with a mostly fecal-oral between-species transmission route, provide an excellent system with which to test for the impact of biotic and abiotic factors on viral prevalence in wild host populations. Here we show on a continental scale that the prevalence of three broad host viruses: the AKI-complex (Acute bee paralysis virus, Kashmir bee virus and Israeli acute paralysis virus), Deformed wing virus, and Slow bee paralysis virus in wild bee populations (bumble bees and solitary bees) is positively related to viral prevalence of sympatric honey bees as well as being impacted by climatic variables. The former highlights the need for good beekeeping practices, including Varroa destructor management to reduce honey bee viral infection and hive placement. Furthermore, we found that viral prevalence in wild bees is at its lowest at the extreme ends of both temperature and precipitation ranges. Under predicted climate change, the frequency of extremes in precipitation and temperature will continue to increase and may hence impact viral prevalence in wild bee communities.
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17
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Ebru Korkmaz, Altun N, Faiz Ö. Effects of Diet on Phenoloxidase Activity and Development of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Larvae. BIOL BULL+ 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s106235902213009x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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18
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Giacomini JJ, Moore N, Adler LS, Irwin RE. Sunflower pollen induces rapid excretion in bumble bees: Implications for host-pathogen interactions. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 137:104356. [PMID: 35016876 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2022.104356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Host diet can have a profound effect on host-pathogen interactions, including indirect effects on pathogens mediated through host physiology. In bumble bees (Bombus impatiens), the consumption of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) pollen dramatically reduces infection by the gut protozoan pathogen Crithidia bombi. One hypothesis for the medicinal effect of sunflower pollen is that consumption changes host gut physiological function, causing rapid excretion that flushes C. bombi from the system. We tested the effect of pollen diet and C. bombi infection on gut transit properties using a 2x2 factorial experiment in which bees were infected with C. bombi or not and fed sunflower or wildflower pollen diet. We measured several non-mutually exclusive physiological processes that underlie the insect excretory system, including gut transit time, bi-hourly excretion rate, the total number of excretion events and the total volume of excrement. Sunflower pollen significantly reduced gut transit time in uninfected bees, and increased the total number of excretion events and volume of excrement by 66 % and 68 %, respectively, in both infected and uninfected bees. Here we show that a sunflower pollen diet can affect host physiology gut function, causing more rapid and greater excretion. These results provide important insight into a mechanism that could underlie the medicinal effect of sunflower pollen for bumble bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan J Giacomini
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695 USA.
| | - Nicholas Moore
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695 USA
| | - Lynn S Adler
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003 USA
| | - Rebecca E Irwin
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695 USA
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19
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The weaker sex: Male lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) with blue color polymorphism are more burdened by parasites than are other sex-color combinations. PLoS One 2022; 16:e0261202. [PMID: 34972116 PMCID: PMC8719767 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The unusual blue color polymorphism of lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) is the subject of much speculation but little empirical research; ~20% of lingcod individuals exhibit this striking blue color morph, which is discrete from and found within the same populations as the more common brown morph. In other species, color polymorphisms are intimately linked with host–parasite interactions, which led us to ask whether blue coloration in lingcod might be associated with parasitism, either as cause or effect. To test how color and parasitism are related in this host species, we performed parasitological dissection of 89 lingcod individuals collected across more than 26 degrees of latitude from Alaska, Washington, and California, USA. We found that male lingcod carried 1.89 times more parasites if they were blue than if they were brown, whereas there was no difference in parasite burden between blue and brown female lingcod. Blue individuals of both sexes had lower hepatosomatic index (i.e., relative liver weight) values than did brown individuals, indicating that blueness is associated with poor body condition. The immune systems of male vertebrates are typically less effective than those of females, due to the immunocompromising properties of male sex hormones; this might explain why blueness is associated with elevated parasite burdens in males but not in females. What remains to be determined is whether parasites induce physiological damage that produces blueness or if both blue coloration and parasite burden are driven by some unmeasured variable, such as starvation. Although our study cannot discriminate between these possibilities, our data suggest that the immune system could be involved in the blue color polymorphism–an exciting jumping-off point for future research to definitively identify the cause of lingcod blueness and a hint that immunocompetence and parasitism may play a role in lingcod population dynamics.
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20
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Logging effects on parasitic infections in a swamp rat (Malacomys edwardsi) in West Africa. J Mammal 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Habitat disturbance can have negative impacts on biodiversity, such as reducing species richness. The effects of habitat disturbances on parasite infections of host species, potentially altering their survival rate and thus abundance, are less well known. We examined the influence of forest logging in combination with seasonality, host abundance, host body condition, and host sex, on the community composition of gastrointestinal parasites infecting Edward’s swamp rat, Malacomys edwardsi. Community composition of parasites did not differ between logged and undisturbed sites, but the abundance of some nematodes (i.e., Ascaris and hookworm) was higher in undisturbed than logged sites. The higher abundance of these nematode species implies a changed host-parasite relationship, thus potentially influencing host persistence.
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21
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Watrobska CM, Ramos Rodrigues A, Arce AN, Clarke J, Gill RJ. Pollen Source Richness May Be a Poor Predictor of Bumblebee ( Bombus terrestris) Colony Growth. FRONTIERS IN INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 1:741349. [PMID: 38468876 PMCID: PMC10926443 DOI: 10.3389/finsc.2021.741349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Agricultural intensification has drastically altered foraging landscapes for bees, with large-scale crop monocultures associated with floral diversity loss. Research on bumblebees and honeybees has shown individuals feeding on pollen from a low richness of floral sources can experience negative impacts on health and longevity relative to higher pollen source richness of similar protein concentrations. Florally rich landscapes are thus generally assumed to better support social bees. Yet, little is known about whether the effects of reduced pollen source richness can be mitigated by feeding on pollen with higher crude protein concentration, and importantly how variation in diet affects whole colony growth, rearing decisions and sexual production. Studying queen-right bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) colonies, we monitored colony development under a polyfloral pollen diet or a monofloral pollen diet with 1.5-1.8 times higher crude protein concentration. Over 6 weeks, we found monofloral colonies performed better for all measures, with no apparent long-term effects on colony mass or worker production, and a higher number of pupae in monofloral colonies at the end of the experiment. Unexpectedly, polyfloral colonies showed higher mortality, and little evidence of any strategy to counteract the effects of reduced protein; with fewer and lower mass workers being reared, and males showing a similar trend. Our findings (i) provide well-needed daily growth dynamics of queenright colonies under varied diets, and (ii) support the view that pollen protein content in the foraging landscape rather than floral species richness per se is likely a key driver of colony health and success.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Richard J. Gill
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, London, United Kingdom
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22
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Giacomini JJ, Connon SJ, Marulanda D, Adler LS, Irwin RE. The costs and benefits of sunflower pollen diet on bumble bee colony disease and health. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan J. Giacomini
- Department of Applied Ecology North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina 27695 USA
| | - Sara J. Connon
- Department of Applied Ecology North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina 27695 USA
| | - Daniel Marulanda
- Department of Applied Ecology North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina 27695 USA
| | - Lynn S. Adler
- Department of Biology University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst Massachusetts 01003 USA
| | - Rebecca E. Irwin
- Department of Applied Ecology North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina 27695 USA
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23
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Seppälä O, Çetin C, Cereghetti T, Feulner PGD, Adema CM. Examining adaptive evolution of immune activity: opportunities provided by gastropods in the age of 'omics'. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200158. [PMID: 33813886 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasites threaten all free-living organisms, including molluscs. Understanding the evolution of immune defence traits in natural host populations is crucial for predicting their long-term performance under continuous infection risk. Adaptive trait evolution requires that traits are subject to selection (i.e. contribute to organismal fitness) and that they are heritable. Despite broad interest in the evolutionary ecology of immune activity in animals, the understanding of selection on and evolutionary potential of immune defence traits is far from comprehensive. For instance, empirical observations are only rarely in line with theoretical predictions of immune activity being subject to stabilizing selection. This discrepancy may be because ecoimmunological studies can typically cover only a fraction of the complexity of an animal immune system. Similarly, molecular immunology/immunogenetics studies provide a mechanistic understanding of immunity, but neglect variation that arises from natural genetic differences among individuals and from environmental conditions. Here, we review the current literature on natural selection on and evolutionary potential of immune traits in animals, signal how merging ecological immunology and genomics will strengthen evolutionary ecological research on immunity, and indicate research opportunities for molluscan gastropods for which well-established ecological understanding and/or 'immune-omics' resources are already available. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Molluscan genomics: broad insights and future directions for a neglected phylum'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Otto Seppälä
- Research Department for Limnology, University of Innsbruck, Mondsee, Austria
| | - Cansu Çetin
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Teo Cereghetti
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Philine G D Feulner
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland.,Division of Aquatic Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Coen M Adema
- Department of Biology, Center for Evolutionary and Theoretical Immunology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
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24
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Piot N, Eeraerts M, Pisman M, Claus G, Meeus I, Smagghe G. More is less: mass-flowering fruit tree crops dilute parasite transmission between bees. Int J Parasitol 2021; 51:777-785. [PMID: 33811913 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2021.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Parasites influence wild bee population dynamics and are regarded as one of the main drivers of wild bee decline. Most of these parasites are mainly transmitted between bee species via the use of shared floral resources. Disturbance of the plant-pollinator network at a location can hence disturb the transmission of these parasites. Expansion and intensification of agriculture, another major driver of wild bee decline, often disturbs local plant-pollinator networks by altering the availability and diversity of floral resources. Mass-flowering crops are an extreme example as they provide an abundance of floral resources for a short period of time, substantially altering the present plant-pollinator network. This likely has repercussions on parasite transmission in the pollinator community. Using the bloom of mass-flowering crops we tested the hypothesis that an increase in floral resources can dilute parasite transmission in the pollinator community. To test this, we analysed the presence of parasites in the pollen of the brood cell provisions of Osmia spp., collected from trap nests placed in apple and sweet cherry orchards. We collected pollen at several time intervals during and after mass bloom, and found that pollen collected during mass bloom had significantly lower parasite prevalence compared with pollen collected after mass bloom. Furthermore, using pollen barcoding data we found that the presence of MFCs in pollen was a good predictor for lower parasite prevalence. Taken together, our results indicate that an increase in flower availability can reduce parasite transmission between bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niels Piot
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Coupure links 653, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Maxime Eeraerts
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Coupure links 653, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Matti Pisman
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Coupure links 653, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Gregor Claus
- Laboratory of Crop Protection Chemistry, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Coupure links 653, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ivan Meeus
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Coupure links 653, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Guy Smagghe
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Coupure links 653, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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25
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Transcriptome profiling of Lymnaea stagnalis (Gastropoda) for ecoimmunological research. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:144. [PMID: 33648459 PMCID: PMC7919325 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07428-1] [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: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Host immune function can contribute to numerous ecological/evolutionary processes. Ecoimmunological studies, however, typically use one/few phenotypic immune assays and thus do not consider the complexity of the immune system. Therefore, "omics" resources that allow quantifying immune activity across multiple pathways are needed for ecoimmunological models. We applied short-read based RNAseq (Illumina NextSeq 500, PE-81) to characterise transcriptome profiles of Lymnaea stagnalis (Gastropoda), a multipurpose model snail species. We used a genetically diverse snail stock and exposed individuals to immune elicitors (injury, bacterial/trematode pathogens) and changes in environmental conditions that can alter immune activity (temperature, food availability). RESULTS Immune defence factors identified in the de novo assembly covered elements broadly described in other gastropods. For instance, pathogen-recognition receptors (PRR) and lectins activate Toll-like receptor (TLR) pathway and cytokines that regulate cellular and humoral defences. Surprisingly, only modest diversity of antimicrobial peptides and fibrinogen related proteins were detected when compared with other taxa. Additionally, multiple defence factors that may contribute to the phenotypic immune assays used to quantify antibacterial activity and phenoloxidase (PO)/melanisation-type reaction in this species were found. Experimental treatments revealed factors from non-self recognition (lectins) and signalling (TLR pathway, cytokines) to effectors (e.g., antibacterial proteins, PO enzymes) whose transcription depended on immune stimuli and environmental conditions, as well as components of snail physiology/metabolism that may drive these effects. Interestingly, the transcription of many factors (e.g., PRR, lectins, cytokines, PO enzymes, antibacterial proteins) showed high among-individual variation. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate several uniform aspects of gastropod immunity, but also apparent differences between L. stagnalis and some previously examined taxa. Interestingly, in addition to immune defence factors that responded to immune elicitors and changes in environmental conditions, many factors showed high among-individual variation across experimental snails. We propose that such factors are highly important to be included in future ecoimmunological studies because they may be the key determinants of differences in parasite resistance among individuals both within and between natural snail populations.
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26
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Gómez-Moracho T, Durand T, Pasquaretta C, Heeb P, Lihoreau M. Artificial Diets Modulate Infection Rates by Nosema ceranae in Bumblebees. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9010158. [PMID: 33445614 PMCID: PMC7827189 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9010158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasites alter the physiology and behaviour of their hosts. In domestic honey bees, the microsporidia Nosema ceranae induces energetic stress that impairs the behaviour of foragers, potentially leading to colony collapse. Whether this parasite similarly affects wild pollinators is little understood because of the low success rates of experimental infection protocols. Here, we present a new approach for infecting bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) with controlled amounts of N. ceranae by briefly exposing individual bumblebees to parasite spores before feeding them with artificial diets. We validated our protocol by testing the effect of two spore dosages and two diets varying in their protein to carbohydrate ratio on the prevalence of the parasite (proportion of PCR-positive bumblebees), the intensity of parasites (spore count in the gut and the faeces), and the survival of bumblebees. Overall, insects fed a low-protein, high-carbohydrate diet showed the highest parasite prevalence (up to 70%) but lived the longest, suggesting that immunity and survival are maximised at different protein to carbohydrate ratios. Spore dosage did not affect parasite infection rate and host survival. The identification of experimental conditions for successfully infecting bumblebees with N. ceranae in the lab will facilitate future investigations of the sub-lethal effects of this parasite on the behaviour and cognition of wild pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Gómez-Moracho
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France; (T.D.); (C.P.); (M.L.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Tristan Durand
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France; (T.D.); (C.P.); (M.L.)
| | - Cristian Pasquaretta
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France; (T.D.); (C.P.); (M.L.)
| | - Philipp Heeb
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique, UMR 5174 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paul Sabatier, ENSFEA, 31062 Toulouse, France;
| | - Mathieu Lihoreau
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France; (T.D.); (C.P.); (M.L.)
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27
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OneHealth implications of infectious diseases of wild and managed bees. J Invertebr Pathol 2020; 186:107506. [PMID: 33249062 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2020.107506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The OneHealth approach aims to further our understanding of the drivers of human, animal and environmental health, and, ultimately, to improve them by combining approaches and knowledge from medicine, biology and fields beyond. Wild and managed bees are essential pollinators of crops and wild flowers. Their health thus directly impacts on human and environmental health. At the same time, these bee species represent highly amenable and relevant model organisms for a OneHealth approach that aims to study fundamental epidemiological questions. In this review, we focus on how infectious diseases of wild and managed bees can be used as a OneHealth model system, informing fundamental questions on ecological immunology and disease transmission, while addressing how this knowledge can be used to tackle the issues facing pollinator health.
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28
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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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29
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Moatt JP, Savola E, Regan JC, Nussey DH, Walling CA. Lifespan Extension Via Dietary Restriction: Time to Reconsider the Evolutionary Mechanisms? Bioessays 2020; 42:e1900241. [DOI: 10.1002/bies.201900241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2019] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joshua P. Moatt
- Institute of Evolutionary BiologySchool of Biological ScienceUniversity of Edinburgh Edinburgh EH9 3FL UK
| | - Eevi Savola
- Institute of Evolutionary BiologySchool of Biological ScienceUniversity of Edinburgh Edinburgh EH9 3FL UK
| | - Jennifer C. Regan
- Institute for Immunology and InfectionSchool of Biological ScienceUniversity of Edinburgh Edinburgh EH9 3FL UK
| | - Daniel H. Nussey
- Institute of Evolutionary BiologySchool of Biological ScienceUniversity of Edinburgh Edinburgh EH9 3FL UK
| | - Craig A. Walling
- Institute of Evolutionary BiologySchool of Biological ScienceUniversity of Edinburgh Edinburgh EH9 3FL UK
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30
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Dekelaita DJ, Epps CW, Stewart KM, Sedinger JS, Powers JG, Gonzales BJ, Abella‐Vu RK, Darby NW, Hughson DL. Survival of Adult Female Bighorn Sheep Following a Pneumonia Epizootic. J Wildl Manage 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniella J. Dekelaita
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Oregon State University Corvallis OR 97331‐3803 USA
| | - Clinton W. Epps
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Oregon State University Corvallis OR 97331‐3803 USA
| | - Kelley M. Stewart
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science University of Nevada, Reno Reno NV 89557‐0186 USA
| | - James S. Sedinger
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science University of Nevada, Reno Reno NV 89557‐0186 USA
| | - Jenny G. Powers
- Biological Resources Division National Park Service 1201 Oakridge Drive Fort Collins CO 80525 USA
| | - Ben J. Gonzales
- Wildlife Investigations Laboratory, California Department of Fish and Wildlife 1701 Nimbus Road Rancho Cordova CA 95670‐4503 USA
| | - Regina K. Abella‐Vu
- Wildlife Branch, California Department of Fish and Wildlife 1812 Ninth Street Sacramento CA 95811 USA
| | - Neal W. Darby
- Mojave National Preserve, National Park Service 2701 Barstow Road Barstow CA 92311 USA
| | - Debra L. Hughson
- Mojave National Preserve, National Park Service 2701 Barstow Road Barstow CA 92311 USA
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The Effect of Foraging on Bumble Bees, Bombus terrestris, Reared under Laboratory Conditions. INSECTS 2020; 11:insects11050321. [PMID: 32456127 PMCID: PMC7290516 DOI: 10.3390/insects11050321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Bumble bees are important pollinators broadly used by farmers in greenhouses and under conditions in which honeybee pollination is limited. As such, bumble bees are increasingly being reared for commercial purposes, which brings into question whether individuals reared under laboratory conditions are fully capable of physiological adaptation to field conditions. To understand the changes in bumble bee organism caused by foraging, we compared the fundamental physiological and immunological parameters of Bombus terrestris workers reared under constant optimal laboratory conditions with workers from sister colonies that were allowed to forage for two weeks in the field. Nutritional status and immune response were further determined in wild foragers of B.terrestris that lived under the constant influence of natural stressors. Both wild and laboratory-reared workers subjected to the field conditions had a lower protein concentration in the hemolymph and increased antimicrobial activity, the detection of which was limited in the non-foragers. However, in most of the tested parameters, specifically the level of carbohydrates, antioxidants, total hemocyte concentration in the hemolymph and melanization response, we did not observe any significant differences between bumble bee workers produced in the laboratory and wild animals, nor between foragers and non-foragers. Our results show that bumble bees reared under laboratory conditions can mount a sufficient immune response to potential pathogens and cope with differential food availability in the field, similarly to the wild bumble bee workers.
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Grund-Mueller N, Ruedenauer FA, Spaethe J, Leonhardt SD. Adding Amino Acids to a Sucrose Diet Is Not Sufficient to Support Longevity of Adult Bumble Bees. INSECTS 2020; 11:insects11040247. [PMID: 32326445 PMCID: PMC7240467 DOI: 10.3390/insects11040247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Dietary macro-nutrients (i.e., carbohydrates, protein, and fat) are important for bee larval development and, thus, colony health and fitness. To which extent different diets (varying in macro-nutrient composition) affect adult bees and whether they can thrive on nectar as the sole amino acid source has, however, been little investigated. We investigated how diets varying in protein concentration and overall nutrient composition affected consumption, longevity, and breeding behavior of the buff-tailed bumble bee, Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Queenless micro-colonies were fed either natural nutrient sources (pollen), nearly pure protein (i.e., the milk protein casein), or sucrose solutions with low and with high essential amino acid content in concentrations as can be found in nectar. We observed micro-colonies for 110 days. We found that longevity was highest for pure pollen and lowest for pure sucrose solution and sucrose solution supplemented with amino acids in concentrations as found in the nectar of several plant species. Adding higher concentrations of amino acids to sucrose solution did only slightly increase longevity compared to sucrose alone. Consequently, sucrose solution with the applied concentrations and proportions of amino acids or other protein sources (e.g., casein) alone did not meet the nutritional needs of healthy adult bumble bees. In fact, longevity was highest and reproduction only successful in micro-colonies fed pollen. These results indicate that, in addition to carbohydrates and protein, adult bumble bees, like larvae, need further nutrients (e.g., lipids and micro-nutrients) for their well-being. An appropriate nutritional composition seemed to be best provided by floral pollen, suggesting that pollen is an essential dietary component not only for larvae but also for adult bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Grund-Mueller
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology (Zoology III), University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany; (N.G.-M.); (F.A.R.); (S.D.L.)
| | - Fabian A. Ruedenauer
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology (Zoology III), University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany; (N.G.-M.); (F.A.R.); (S.D.L.)
- Plant-Insect Interactions Group, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Johannes Spaethe
- Department of Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-931-31-83408
| | - Sara D. Leonhardt
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology (Zoology III), University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany; (N.G.-M.); (F.A.R.); (S.D.L.)
- Plant-Insect Interactions Group, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
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Colgan TJ, Carolan JC, Sumner S, Blaxter ML, Brown MJF. Infection by the castrating parasitic nematode Sphaerularia bombi changes gene expression in Bombus terrestris bumblebee queens. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2020; 29:170-182. [PMID: 31566835 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Revised: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Parasitism can result in dramatic changes in host phenotype, which are themselves underpinned by genes and their expression. Understanding how hosts respond at the molecular level to parasites can therefore reveal the molecular architecture of an altered host phenotype. The entomoparasitic nematode Sphaerularia bombi is a parasite of bumblebee (Bombus) hosts where it induces complex behavioural changes and host castration. To examine this interaction at the molecular level, we performed genome-wide transcriptional profiling using RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) of S. bombi-infected Bombus terrestris queens at two critical time-points: during and just after overwintering diapause. We found that infection by S. bombi affects the transcription of genes underlying host biological processes associated with energy usage, translation, and circadian rhythm. We also found that the parasite affects the expression of immune genes, including members of the Toll signalling pathway providing evidence for a novel interaction between the parasite and the host immune response. Taken together, our results identify host biological processes and genes affected by an entomoparasitic nematode providing the first steps towards a molecular understanding of this ecologically important host-parasite interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- T J Colgan
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - J C Carolan
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland
| | - S Sumner
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - M L Blaxter
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - M J F Brown
- Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK
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Understanding the Evolutionary Ecology of host--pathogen Interactions Provides Insights into the Outcomes of Insect Pest Biocontrol. Viruses 2020; 12:v12020141. [PMID: 31991772 PMCID: PMC7077243 DOI: 10.3390/v12020141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of viral pathogens to control thepopulation size of pest insects has produced both successful and unsuccessful outcomes. Here, we investigate whether those biocontrol successes and failures can be explained by key ecological and evolutionary processes between hosts and pathogens. Specifically, we examine how heterogeneity inpathogen transmission, ecological and evolutionary tradeoffs, andpathogen diversity affect insect population density and thus successful control. Wefirst review theexisting literature and then use numerical simulations of mathematical models to further explore these processes. Our results show that thecontrol of insect densities using viruses depends strongly on theheterogeneity of virus transmission among insects. Overall, increased heterogeneity of transmission reduces theeffect of viruses on insect densities and increases thelong-term stability of insect populations. Lower equilibrium insect densities occur when transmission is heritable and when there is atradeoff between mean transmission and insect fecundity compared to when theheterogeneity of transmission arises from non-genetic sources. Thus, theheterogeneity of transmission is akey parameter that regulates thelong-term population dynamics of insects and their pathogens. Wealso show that both heterogeneity of transmission and life-history tradeoffs modulate characteristics of population dynamics such as thefrequency and intensity of ``boom--bust" population cycles. Furthermore, we show that because of life-history tradeoffs affecting thetransmission rate, theuse of multiple pathogen strains is more effective than theuse of asingle strain to control insect densities only when thepathogen strains differ considerably intheir transmission characteristics. By quantifying theeffects of ecology and evolution on population densities, we are able to offer recommendations to assess thelong-term effects of classical biocontrol.
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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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36
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Ponton F, Morimoto J, Robinson K, Kumar SS, Cotter SC, Wilson K, Simpson SJ. Macronutrients modulate survival to infection and immunity in Drosophila. J Anim Ecol 2019; 89:460-470. [PMID: 31658371 PMCID: PMC7027473 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Immunity and nutrition are two essential modulators of individual fitness. However, while the implications of immune function and nutrition on an individual's lifespan and reproduction are well established, the interplay between feeding behaviour, infection and immune function remains poorly understood. Asking how ecological and physiological factors affect immune responses and resistance to infections is a central theme of eco‐immunology. In this study, we used the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, to investigate how infection through septic injury modulates nutritional intake and how macronutrient balance affects survival to infection by the pathogenic Gram‐positive bacterium Micrococcus luteus. Our results show that infected flies maintain carbohydrate intake, but reduce protein intake, thereby shifting from a protein‐to‐carbohydrate (P:C) ratio of ~1:4 to ~1:10 relative to non‐infected and sham‐infected flies. Strikingly, the proportion of flies dying after M. luteus infection was significantly lower when flies were fed a low‐P high‐C diet, revealing that flies shift their macronutrient intake as means of nutritional self‐medication against bacterial infection. These results are likely due to the effects of the macronutrient balance on the regulation of the constitutive expression of innate immune genes, as a low‐P high‐C diet was linked to an upregulation in the expression of key antimicrobial peptides. Together, our results reveal the intricate relationship between macronutrient intake and resistance to infection and integrate the molecular cross‐talk between metabolic and immune pathways into the framework of nutritional immunology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fleur Ponton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Juliano Morimoto
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Katie Robinson
- Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Sheemal S Kumar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Kenneth Wilson
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Stephen J Simpson
- Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Bramke K, Müller U, McMahon DP, Rolff J. Exposure of Larvae of the Solitary Bee Osmia bicornis to the Honey Bee Pathogen Nosema ceranae Affects Life History. INSECTS 2019; 10:E380. [PMID: 31683739 PMCID: PMC6921066 DOI: 10.3390/insects10110380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Revised: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Wild bees are important pollinators of wild plants and agricultural crops and they are threatened by several environmental stressors including emerging pathogens. Honey bees have been suggested as a potential source of pathogen spillover. One prevalent pathogen that has recently emerged as a honey bee disease is the microsporidian Nosema ceranae. While the impacts of N. ceranae in honey bees are well documented, virtually nothing is known about its effects in solitary wild bees. The solitary mason bee Osmia bicornis is a common pollinator in orchards and amenable to commercial management. Here, we experimentally exposed larvae of O. bicornis to food contaminated with N. ceranae and document spore presence during larval development. We measured mortality, growth parameters, and timing of pupation in a semi-field experiment. Hatched individuals were assessed for physiological state including fat body mass, wing muscle mass, and body size. We recorded higher mortality in the viable-spore-exposed group but could only detect a low number of spores among the individuals of this treatment. Viable-spore-treated individuals with higher head capsule width had a delayed pupation start. No impact on the physiological status could be detected in hatched imagines. Although we did not find overt evidence of O. bicornis infection, our findings indicate that exposure of larvae to viable N. ceranae spores could affect bee development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Bramke
- Institut für Biologie, Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Uta Müller
- Institut für Biologie, Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Dino P McMahon
- Institut für Biologie, Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
- Abteilung 4 Material und Umwelt, Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und-prüfung (BAM), 12205 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Jens Rolff
- Institut für Biologie, Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
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38
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Davis JK, Aguirre LA, Barber NA, Stevenson PC, Adler LS. From plant fungi to bee parasites: mycorrhizae and soil nutrients shape floral chemistry and bee pathogens. Ecology 2019; 100:e02801. [PMID: 31234229 PMCID: PMC6773465 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Bee populations have experienced declines in recent years, due in part to increased disease incidence. Multiple factors influence bee-pathogen interactions, including nectar and pollen quality and secondary metabolites. However, we lack an understanding of how plant interactions with their environment shape bee diet quality. We examined how plant interactions with the belowground environment alter floral rewards and, in turn, bee-pathogen interactions. Soil-dwelling mycorrhizal fungi are considered plant mutualists, although the outcome of the relationship depends on environmental conditions such as nutrients. In a 2 × 2 factorial design, we asked whether mycorrhizal fungi and nutrients affect concentrations of nectar and pollen alkaloids (anabasine and nicotine) previously shown to reduce infection by the gut pathogen Crithidia in the native bumble bee Bombus impatiens. To ask how plant interactions affect this common bee pathogen, we fed pollen and nectar from our treatment plants, and from a wildflower pollen control with artificial nectar, to bees infected with Crithidia. Mycorrhizal fungi and fertilizer both influenced flowering phenology and floral chemistry. While we found no anabasine or nicotine in nectar, high fertilizer increased anabasine and nicotine in pollen. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) decreased nicotine concentrations, but the reduction due to AMF was stronger in high than low-nutrient conditions. AMF and nutrients also had interactive effects on bee pathogens via changes in nectar and pollen. High fertilizer reduced Crithidia cell counts relative to low fertilizer in AMF plants, but increased Crithidia in non-AMF plants. These results did not correspond with effects of fertilizer and AMF on pollen alkaloid concentrations, suggesting that other components of pollen or nectar were affected by treatments and shaped pathogen counts. Our results indicate that soil biotic and abiotic environment can alter bee-pathogen interactions via changes in floral rewards, and underscore the importance of integrative studies to predict disease dynamics and ecological outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie K. Davis
- Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Luis A. Aguirre
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Nicholas A. Barber
- Department of Biological Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
| | - Philip C. Stevenson
- Jodrell Laboratory, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Surrey TW9 3AB, UK
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TB, UK
| | - Lynn S. Adler
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
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Host food quality and quantity differentially affect Ascogregarina barretti parasite burden, development and within-host competition in the mosquito Aedes triseriatus. Parasitology 2019; 146:1665-1672. [PMID: 31362793 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182019000994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Host condition depends in large part on the quality and quantity of available food and heavily influences the outcome of parasite infection. Although parasite fitness traits such as growth rate and size may depend on host condition, whether host food quality or quantity is more important to parasite fitness and within-host interactions is poorly understood. We provided individual mosquito hosts with a standard dose of a gregarine parasite and reared mosquitoes on two food types of different quality and two quantities. We measured host size, total parasite count and area, and average size of parasites within each treatment. Food quality significantly influenced the number of parasites in a host; hosts fed a low-quality diet were infected with more parasites than those provided a high-quality diet. In addition, we found evidence of within-host competition; there was a negative relationship between parasite size and count though this relationship was dependent on host food quality. Host food quantity significantly affected total parasite area and parasite size; lower food quantity resulted in smaller parasites and reduced overall parasite area inside the host. Thus both food quality and quantity have the potential to influence parasite fitness and population dynamics.
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Vanderplanck M, Roger N, Moerman R, Ghisbain G, Gérard M, Popowski D, Granica S, Fournier D, Meeus I, Piot N, Smagghe G, Terrana L, Michez D. Bumble bee parasite prevalence but not genetic diversity impacted by the invasive plant
Impatiens glandulifera. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Maryse Vanderplanck
- Research Institute for Biosciences Laboratory of Zoology University of Mons Place du Parc 20 Mons B‐7000 Belgium
- Evo‐Eco‐Paleo ‐ UMR 8198 CNRS Université de Lille Lille F‐59000 France
| | - Nathalie Roger
- Research Institute for Biosciences Laboratory of Zoology University of Mons Place du Parc 20 Mons B‐7000 Belgium
| | - Romain Moerman
- Research Institute for Biosciences Laboratory of Zoology University of Mons Place du Parc 20 Mons B‐7000 Belgium
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology Université libre de Bruxelles Av. F.D. Roosevelt 50 Brussels B‐1000 Belgium
| | - Guillaume Ghisbain
- Research Institute for Biosciences Laboratory of Zoology University of Mons Place du Parc 20 Mons B‐7000 Belgium
| | - Maxence Gérard
- Research Institute for Biosciences Laboratory of Zoology University of Mons Place du Parc 20 Mons B‐7000 Belgium
| | - Dominik Popowski
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Molecular Basis of Phytotherapy Medical University of Warsaw Banacha 1 Warsaw 02‐097 Poland
| | - Sebastian Granica
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Molecular Basis of Phytotherapy Medical University of Warsaw Banacha 1 Warsaw 02‐097 Poland
| | - Denis Fournier
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology Université libre de Bruxelles Av. F.D. Roosevelt 50 Brussels B‐1000 Belgium
| | - Ivan Meeus
- Department of Crop Protection Faculty of Bioscience Engineering Laboratory of Agrozoology Ghent University Coupure Links 653 Ghent B‐9000 Belgium
| | - Niels Piot
- Department of Crop Protection Faculty of Bioscience Engineering Laboratory of Agrozoology Ghent University Coupure Links 653 Ghent B‐9000 Belgium
| | - Guy Smagghe
- Department of Crop Protection Faculty of Bioscience Engineering Laboratory of Agrozoology Ghent University Coupure Links 653 Ghent B‐9000 Belgium
| | - Lucas Terrana
- Research Institute for Biosciences Biology of Marine Organisms and Biomimetics University of Mons Place du Parc 20 Mons B‐7000 Belgium
| | - Denis Michez
- Research Institute for Biosciences Laboratory of Zoology University of Mons Place du Parc 20 Mons B‐7000 Belgium
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41
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Paige AS, Bellamy SK, Alto BW, Dean CL, Yee DA. Linking nutrient stoichiometry to Zika virus transmission in a mosquito. Oecologia 2019; 191:1-10. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04429-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Kirk D, Shea D, Start D. Host traits and competitive ability jointly structure disease dynamics and community assembly. J Anim Ecol 2019; 88:1379-1391. [PMID: 31120552 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Parasitism and competition are both ubiquitous interactions in ecological communities. The ability of host species to interact directly via competition and indirectly through shared parasites suggests that host traits related to competition and parasitism are likely important in structuring communities and disease dynamics. Specifically, those host traits affecting competition and those mediating parasitism are often correlated either because of trade-offs (in resource acquisition or resource allocation) or condition dependence, yet the consequences of these trait relationships for community and epidemiological dynamics are poorly understood. We conducted a literature review of parasite-related host traits-competitive ability relationships. We found that transmission-competitive ability relationships were most often reported, and that superior competitors exhibited elevated transmission relative to their less-competitive counterparts in nearly 80% of the cases. We also found a significant number of virulence-competitive ability and parasite shedding-competitive ability relationships. We investigated these links by altering the relationship between host competitive ability and three parasite-related traits (transmission, virulence and parasite shedding rates) in a simple model, incorporating competitive asymmetries in a multi-host community. We show that these relationships can lead to a range of different communities. For example, depending on the strength and direction of these distinct trait relationships, we observed communities with anywhere from high parasite prevalence to complete parasite extinction, and either one, two or the maximum of three host species coexisting. Our results suggest that parasite-competitive ability relationships may be common in nature, that further integration of these relationships can produce novel and unexpected community and disease dynamics, and that generalizations may allow for the prediction of how parasitism and competition jointly structure disease and diversity in natural communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devin Kirk
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Dylan Shea
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Denon Start
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Spivak M, Goblirsch M, Simone-Finstrom M. Social-medication in bees: the line between individual and social regulation. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 33:49-55. [PMID: 31358195 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2019.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Revised: 02/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We use the term social-medication to describe the deliberate consumption or use of plant compounds by social insects that are detrimental to a pathogen or parasite at the colony level, result in increased inclusive fitness to the colony, and have potential costs either at the individual or colony level in the absence of parasite infection. These criteria for social-medication differ from those for self-medication in that inclusive fitness costs and benefits are distinguished from individual costs and benefits. The consumption of pollen and nectar may be considered a form of social immunity if they help fight infection, resulting in a demonstrated increase in colony health and survival. However, the dietary use of pollen and nectar per se is likely not a form of social-medication unless there is a detriment or cost to their consumption in the absence of parasite infection, such as when they contain phytochemicals that are toxic at certain doses. We provide examples among social bees (bumblebees, stingless bees and honey bees) in which the consumption or use of plant compounds have a demonstrated role in parasite defense and health of the colony. We indicate where more work is needed to distinguish between prophylactic and therapeutic effects of these compounds, and whether the effects are observed at the individual or colony level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marla Spivak
- Department of Entomology, 1980 Folwell Ave, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, 55108, United States.
| | - Michael Goblirsch
- Department of Entomology, 1980 Folwell Ave, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, 55108, United States
| | - Michael Simone-Finstrom
- USDA-ARS, Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research, 1157 Ben Hur Rd Baton Rouge, LA, 70820, United States
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44
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LoCascio GM, Aguirre L, Irwin RE, Adler LS. Pollen from multiple sunflower cultivars and species reduces a common bumblebee gut pathogen. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:190279. [PMID: 31183152 PMCID: PMC6502360 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.190279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Pathogens are one of the factors driving pollinator declines. Diet can play an important role in mediating pollinator health and resistance to pathogens. Sunflower pollen (Helianthus annuus) dramatically reduced a gut pathogen (Crithidia bombi) of Bombus impatiens previously, but the breadth of this effect was unknown. We tested whether pollen from nine H. annuus cultivars, four wild H. annuus populations, H. petiolarus, H. argophyllus and two Solidago spp., reduced Crithidia in B. impatiens compared to mixed wildflower pollen and buckwheat pollen (Fagopyrum esculentum) as controls. We also compared hand- and honeybee-collected pollen (which contains nectar) to assess whether diet effects on pathogens were due to pollen or nectar. All Helianthus and Solidago pollen reduced Crithidia by 20-40-fold compared to buckwheat pollen, and all but three taxa reduced Crithidia compared to wildflower pollen. We found no consistent differences between hand- and bee-collected pollen, suggesting that pollen alone can reduce Crithidia infection. Our results indicate an important role of pollen diet for bee health and potentially broad options within the Asteraceae for pollinator plantings to manage bee disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- George M. LoCascio
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Luis Aguirre
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, 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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Woodard SH, Duennes MA, Watrous KM, Jha S. Diet and nutritional status during early adult life have immediate and persistent effects on queen bumble bees. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2019; 7:coz048. [PMID: 32802333 PMCID: PMC6694593 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coz048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Revised: 03/02/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Many insects sequester nutrients during developmentally programmed periods, which they metabolize during subsequent life history stages. During these periods, failure to store adequate nutrients can have persistent effects on fitness. Here, we examined a critical but under-studied nutrient storage period in queen bumble bees: the first days of adult life, which are followed by a diapause period typically coinciding with winter. We experimentally manipulated availability of pollen (the primary dietary source of lipids and protein) and the sugar concentration of artificial nectar (the primary source of carbohydrates) for laboratory-reared queens during this period and examined three nutritional phenomena: (i) diet impacts on nutritional status, (ii) the timescale upon which nutrient sequestration occurs and (iii) the fitness consequences of nutrient sequestration, specifically related to survival across the life cycle. We found evidence that pollen and nectar starvation negatively impact lipid storage, whereas nectar sugar concentration impacts stored carbohydrates. The majority of nutrients were stored during the first ~ 3 days of adult life. Nutrients derived from pollen during this period appear to be more critical for surviving earlier life stages, whereas nutrients sequestered from nectar become more important for surviving the diapause and post-diapause periods. Negative impacts of a poor diet during early life persisted in our experiment, even when pollen and a relatively high (50%) nectar sugar concentration were provided post-diapause. Based on these findings, we posit that the nutritional environment during the early adult life of queens has both immediate and persistent impacts on fitness. These findings underscore the importance of examining effects of stage-specific nutritional limitations on physiology and life history traits in this social insect group. Moreover, the findings may shed light on how declining food resources are contributing to the decline of wild bumble bee populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Hollis Woodard
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
- Corresponding author: Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA. Tel.: 1-951-827-5761.
| | | | - Kristal M Watrous
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Shalene Jha
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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Wilson JK, Ruiz L, Davidowitz G. Dietary Protein and Carbohydrates Affect Immune Function and Performance in a Specialist Herbivore Insect (Manduca sexta). Physiol Biochem Zool 2019; 92:58-70. [DOI: 10.1086/701196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Respiratory pathogens and their association with population performance in Montana and Wyoming bighorn sheep populations. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0207780. [PMID: 30475861 PMCID: PMC6257920 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Respiratory disease caused by Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae and Pasteurellaceae poses a formidable challenge for bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) conservation. All-age epizootics can cause 10–90% mortality and are typically followed by multiple years of enzootic disease in lambs that hinders post-epizootic recovery of populations. The relative frequencies at which these epizootics are caused by the introduction of novel pathogens or expression of historic pathogens that have become resident in the populations is unknown. Our primary objectives were to determine how commonly the pathogens associated with respiratory disease are hosted by bighorn sheep populations and assess demographic characteristics of populations with respect to the presence of different pathogens. We sampled 22 bighorn sheep populations across Montana and Wyoming, USA for Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae and Pasteurellaceae and used data from management agencies to characterize the disease history and demographics of these populations. We tested for associations between lamb:ewe ratios and the presence of different respiratory pathogen species. All study populations hosted Pasteurellaceae and 17 (77%) hosted Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae. Average lamb:ewe ratios for individual populations where both Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae and Pasteurellaceae were detected ranged from 0.14 to 0.40. However, average lamb:ewe ratios were higher in populations where Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae was not detected (0.37, 95% CI: 0.27–0.51) than in populations where it was detected (0.25, 95% CI: 0.21–0.30). These findings suggest that respiratory pathogens are commonly hosted by bighorn sheep populations and often reduce recruitment rates; however ecological factors may interact with the pathogens to determine population-level effects. Elucidation of such factors could provide insights for management approaches that alleviate the effects of respiratory pathogens in bighorn sheep. Nevertheless, minimizing the introduction of novel pathogens from domestic sheep and goats remains imperative to bighorn sheep conservation.
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48
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Moreno-Rueda G, Melero E, Reguera S, Zamora-Camacho FJ, Álvarez-Benito I. Prey availability, prey selection, and trophic niche width in the lizard Psammodromus algirus along an elevational gradient. Curr Zool 2018; 64:603-613. [PMID: 30323839 PMCID: PMC6178790 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zox077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Revised: 10/10/2017] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mountains imply enormous environmental variation, with alpine habitats entailing harsh environments, especially for ectotherms such as lizards. This environmental variability also may imply variation in prey availability. However, little is known about how lizard trophic ecology varies with elevation. In this study, we analyze diet, prey availability, prey selection, and trophic niche width in the lacertid lizard Psammodromus algirus along a 2,200-m elevational gradient in the Sierra Nevada (SE Spain). The analysis of fecal samples has shown that Orthoptera, Formicidae, Hemiptera, Coleoptera, and Araneae are the main prey, although, according to their abundance in pitfall traps, Formicidae and Coleoptera are rejected by the lizard whereas Orthoptera, Hemiptera, and Araneae are preferred. Prey abundance and diversity increase with elevation and diet subtly varies along with the elevational gradient. The consumption of Coleoptera increases with elevation probably as a consequence of the lizard foraging more in open areas while basking. The electivity for Araneae increases with elevation. Araneae are rejected in the lowlands—where they are relatively abundant—whereas, at high elevation, this lizard positively selects them, despite they being less abundant. The lizard trophic niche width expands with elevation due to concomitant greater prey diversity and hence this lizard feeds on more prey types in highlands. Although no sex difference in diet has been found, the trophic niche is broader in females than males. As a whole, alpine lizards show a trophic niche similar to that found at lower elevations, suggesting that P. algirus is well adapted to the harsh environment found in alpine areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregorio Moreno-Rueda
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Elena Melero
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Senda Reguera
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Francisco J Zamora-Camacho
- Departamento de Biogeografía y Cambio Global, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, C/José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, E-28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Inés Álvarez-Benito
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
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49
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Giacomini JJ, Leslie J, Tarpy DR, Palmer-Young EC, Irwin RE, Adler LS. Medicinal value of sunflower pollen against bee pathogens. Sci Rep 2018; 8:14394. [PMID: 30258066 PMCID: PMC6158195 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-32681-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Global declines in pollinators, including bees, can have major consequences for ecosystem services. Bees are dominant pollinators, making it imperative to mitigate declines. Pathogens are strongly implicated in the decline of native and honey bees. Diet affects bee immune responses, suggesting the potential for floral resources to provide natural resistance to pathogens. We discovered that sunflower (Helianthus annuus) pollen dramatically and consistently reduced a protozoan pathogen (Crithidia bombi) infection in bumble bees (Bombus impatiens) and also reduced a microsporidian pathogen (Nosema ceranae) of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera), indicating the potential for broad anti-parasitic effects. In a field survey, bumble bees from farms with more sunflower area had lower Crithidia infection rates. Given consistent effects of sunflower in reducing pathogens, planting sunflower in agroecosystems and native habitat may provide a simple solution to reduce disease and improve the health of economically and ecologically important pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan J Giacomini
- North Carolina State University, Department of Applied Ecology, 100 Eugene Brooks Avenue, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA.
| | - Jessica Leslie
- University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Biology, 611 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - David R Tarpy
- North Carolina State University, Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology, Campus Box 7613, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Evan C Palmer-Young
- University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Biology, 611 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Rebecca E Irwin
- North Carolina State University, Department of Applied Ecology, 100 Eugene Brooks Avenue, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Lynn S Adler
- University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Biology, 611 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
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50
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Kaluza BF, Wallace HM, Heard TA, Minden V, Klein A, Leonhardt SD. Social bees are fitter in more biodiverse environments. Sci Rep 2018; 8:12353. [PMID: 30120304 PMCID: PMC6098141 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-30126-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/24/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Bee population declines are often linked to human impacts, especially habitat and biodiversity loss, but empirical evidence is lacking. To clarify the link between biodiversity loss and bee decline, we examined how floral diversity affects (reproductive) fitness and population growth of a social stingless bee. For the first time, we related available resource diversity and abundance to resource (quality and quantity) intake and colony reproduction, over more than two years. Our results reveal plant diversity as key driver of bee fitness. Social bee colonies were fitter and their populations grew faster in more florally diverse environments due to a continuous supply of food resources. Colonies responded to high plant diversity with increased resource intake and colony food stores. Our findings thus point to biodiversity loss as main reason for the observed bee decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin F Kaluza
- Department of Ecology, Leuphana University, 21335, Lüneburg, Germany
- Genecology Research Centre, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, 4558, Australia
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Helen M Wallace
- Genecology Research Centre, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, 4558, Australia
| | - Tim A Heard
- CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Brisbane, 4001, Queensland, Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Vanessa Minden
- Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Oldenburg, 26111, Oldenburg, Germany
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Alexandra Klein
- Department of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Freiburg, 79085, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sara D Leonhardt
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, 97074, Würzburg, Germany.
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