Floral Traits Predict Frequency of Defecation on Flowers by Foraging Bumble Bees
Floral Traits Predict Frequency of Defecation on Flowers by Foraging Bumble Bees
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DOI：
10.1093/jisesa/iez091
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发表时间：
2019-09-18
影响因子：
2.2
通讯作者：
Rankin, Erin E. Wilson
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Bodden, Jonah M.;Hazlehurst, Jenny A.;Rankin, Erin E. Wilson
花可能会被病原体感染，这些病原体可以感染蜜蜂和其他重要的传粉者，但接种的机制仍不清楚。在觅食过程中，蜜蜂可能直接在花的部位上排泄或排便，这可能使花与传粉者病原体接触，并导致随后的疾病传播给访花者。我们测试，如果圈养的东方熊蜂（熊蜂凤仙花）（Cresson）（Hyattera：蜜蜂科）在觅食过程中排便花表面，如果花的形状发挥了作用，排便的概率和粪便沉积在花表面的数量。给圈养的熊蜂喂食荧光染料和蔗糖的溶液，然后让它们在飞行笼中自由地在各种形状的花上觅食。然后在紫外线下检查花的荧光粪便物质。我们发现，熊蜂在觅食过程中确实会在花的表面排便，而具有大面积盘状花的复合花最有可能在上面有粪便。我们的研究结果指出，大黄蜂在觅食过程中的排便作为一个潜在的机制与传粉病原体的花朵接种，并建议花的形状可以在接种中发挥重要作用。
Flowers may become inoculated with pathogens that can infect bees and other critical pollinators, but the mechanisms of inoculation remain unclear. During foraging, bees may regurgitate or defecate directly onto flower parts, which could inoculate flowers with pollinator pathogens and lead to subsequent disease transmission to floral visitors. We tested if captive eastern bumble bees (Bombus impatiens) (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) defecate on floral surfaces during foraging and if flower shape played a role in the probability of defecation and the quantity of feces deposited on floral surfaces. Captive Bombus impatiens were fed a solution of fluorescent dye and sucrose, then allowed to forage freely on flowers of a variety of shapes in a flight cage. Flowers were then examined under ultraviolet light for fluorescing fecal matter. We found that bumble bees did defecate on floral surfaces during foraging and that composite flowers with a large area of disk flowers were the most likely to have feces on them. Our results point to defecation by bumble bees during foraging as a potential mechanism for inoculation of flowers with pollinator pathogens and suggest that flower shape could play a significant role in inoculation.