Disease where you dine: plant species and floral traits associated with pathogen transmission in bumble bees

Ecology
Lynn S AdlerRebecca E Irwin

Abstract

Hotspots of disease transmission can strongly influence pathogen spread. Bee pathogens may be transmitted via shared floral use, but the role of plant species and floral trait variation in shaping transmission dynamics is almost entirely unexplored. Given the importance of pathogens for the decline of several bee species, understanding whether and how plant species and floral traits affect transmission could give us important tools for predicting which plant species may be hotspots for disease spread. We assessed variation in transmission via susceptibility (probability of infection) and mean intensity (cell count of infected bees) of the trypanosomatid gut pathogen Crithidia bombi to uninfected Bombus impatiens workers foraging on 14 plant species, and assessed the role of floral traits, bee size and foraging behavior on transmission. We also conducted a manipulative experiment to determine how the number of open flowers affected transmission on three plant species, Penstemon digitalis, Monarda didyma, and Lythrum salicaria. Plant species differed fourfold in the overall mean abundance of Crithidia in foraging bumble bees (mean including infected and uninfected bees). Across plant species, bee susceptibility and mean intensity...Continue Reading

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Citations

Mar 12, 2019·Environmental Entomology·Kristen M MichaudLynn S Adler
May 30, 2019·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Laura L FigueroaLynn S Adler
Aug 8, 2019·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Terence Purkiss, Lori Lach
Sep 27, 2019·Journal of Insect Science·Jonah M BoddenErin E Wilson Rankin
Feb 29, 2020·Scientific Reports·Alberto PradoGloria Torres-Cortes
Sep 23, 2020·Environmental Entomology·Mario S Pinilla-GallegoRebecca E Irwin
May 13, 2020·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Lynn S AdlerRebecca E Irwin
Jun 18, 2020·Frontiers in Microbiology·Orlando YañezNor Chejanovsky
Feb 4, 2021·International Journal for Parasitology. Parasites and Wildlife·María Buendía-AbadLuis Miguel De Pablos
Sep 1, 2020·Current Opinion in Insect Science·Lynn S AdlerRachel L Vannette
Apr 8, 2021·Scientific Reports·Laura L FigueroaScott H McArt
Nov 30, 2020·Journal of Invertebrate Pathology·Lena WilfertVincent Doublet
Apr 19, 2021·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·Willem ProesmansAdam J Vanbergen
Jun 8, 2021·Frontiers in Veterinary Science·Joachim R de MirandaÅsa Berggren
Aug 21, 2021·International Journal for Parasitology·María Buendía-AbadMariano Higes

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