Collaborative Research: The role of floral secondary compounds in bee performance and disease transmission in a natural ecosystem

所有植物都有天然的化学防御，对以植物为食的动物（食草动物）是有毒的。有趣的是，一些食草动物能够吃完后利用这些自然产生的化学物质来保护自己免受捕食者和寄生虫的侵害。因为蜜蜂消耗大量含有这些化学物质的花蜜和花粉，它们可能会把它们作为一种自我治疗的形式。这项工作将检验这个想法。这项研究有三个主要目的：(1)将从野生植物物种中收集花粉和花蜜，并测试潜在的保护性化学物质。这将揭示蜜蜂自然暴露于这些化学物质的程度。实验室实验将确定哪些化学物质会影响蜜蜂的疾病。(3)实验室和田间试验将测试相同的化学物质在花蜂之间的疾病传播中的作用。总的来说，这项研究代表了一种新的方法，并将为植物防御化学物质如何影响野生动物提供见解。这项工作也解决了蜜蜂健康和疾病的当代社会问题。许多蜜蜂数量急剧下降，这对社会构成了巨大威胁，因为蜜蜂提供授粉服务，这对植物保护和作物生产至关重要——在美国，这项服务每年价值数十亿美元。虽然许多因素的结合导致了蜜蜂种群的崩溃，但疾病是罪魁祸首之一。了解蜜蜂是否可以利用花蜜和花粉中的特定化合物进行自我治疗，对于发现控制蜜蜂疾病和对抗传粉媒介减少的新机制具有很大的潜力。最后，通过对学生进行蜜蜂生态学方面的培训，该项目将有助于培养新一代科学家，他们具备解决蜜蜂数量减少和其他生态威胁所需的技能。

Natural chemical defenses occur in all plants and can be toxic to animals that eat plants (herbivores). Interestingly, some herbivores are able to eat and then use these naturally-occurring chemicals to protect themselves from predators and parasites. Because bees consume large amounts of nectar and pollen that contain these chemicals, they may be able use them as a form of self-medication. This work will test that idea. The research has three main objectives: (1) Pollen and nectar will be collected from wild plant species and tested for potentially protective chemicals. This will reveal the extent to which bees are naturally exposed to such chemicals. (2) Laboratory experiments will determine which chemicals may affect disease in bees. (3) Laboratory and field experiments will test the role of the same chemicals on disease transmission between flowers and bees. Taken together, this research represents a novel approach and will provide insight into how plant defensive chemicals can impact wild animals.This work also addresses the contemporary societal issue of bee health and disease. Many bee populations are in steep decline, which poses a large threat to society because bees provide pollination services that are essential for plant conservation and crop production -- services that are worth billions of dollars annually in the United States. While the combination of many factors is responsible for the crash of bee populations, diseases are one of the major culprits. Understanding whether bees can use particular compounds in nectar and pollen to self-medicate has great potential for discovery of new mechanisms to manage bee diseases and combat pollinator decline. Finally, by training students in bee ecology, this project will help produce a new generation of scientists with the skills needed to pursue solutions to bee decline and other ecological threats.