The bees' needs: an eco-evo-devo approach to pollinator health and social evolution

蜜蜂的需求：传粉媒介健康和社会进化的生态进化方法

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-06341
• 负责人: Rehan, Sandra
• 金额: $ 3.28万
• 依托单位: York University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=689126
• 关键词: bees; needs; eco; evo; devo

Bees are important not only for their unmatched pollination services but also for their wide range of social behaviours. In my lab, we study the interplay between maternal care and nutritional ecology. Our research focuses on the small carpenter bees as a model for the study of social evolution and pollinator health. We have developed a wide range of tools, techniques, and share open access data of broad relevance to both evolutionary ecologists and conservation biologists.******The first part of our research focuses on maternal care and offspring development. We study the small carpenter bees because they are a solitary bee with many social tendencies, including prolonged maternal care, grooming and guarding of offspring, extensive mother-adult offspring interaction, and mutual tolerance of adults in the nest. Further, they are locally abundant and easily tractable in both field and lab settings. We are studying the role of maternal care and mother-offspring interaction on whether offspring develop into tolerant or aggressive individuals. Our studies involve observation colonies which allow us to track mother-offspring interaction and to experimentally modify their nutrition and social environment. We also use genomic methods to identify maternally collected pollen, socially transmitted microorganisms, as well as their effects on offspring gene expression to understand the role of maternal care on offspring nutrition and development. ******The second part of our research focuses on nutritional ecology and pollinator health. Not only do mothers play a critical role in offspring production and survival, but arguably environmental factors such as food availability, disease, and nesting habit have an overwhelming influence. Our studies demonstrate that bees are sensitive to floral availability not only in terms of the quantity, but also the quality of resources available. Further, there is growing appreciation that core nutrition is complemented by a core microbiome. Bees that are malnourished and combating pathogens have reduced survival and rarely reproduce. We aim to determine the core nutritional requirements and healthy microbiome of bees to inform landscape restoration and conservation practices. With data on nutritional requirements and their availability in the landscape we can better protect pollinator populations. ******Our research is significant to all Canadians, because our system is unique in permitting experimental assessments of all components that result in a healthy bee. On a practical side, our research also informs pollinator plantings, conservation status recommendations, and bee habitat across a wide range of farm, forest, and urban land use practices. We broadly disseminate information through public lectures, educational websites, school visits, and guided nature walks. The skills that students learn in our lab are directly translated into careers in teaching, research, environmental monitoring, industry, and science communication.

蜜蜂的重要性不仅在于它们无与伦比的授粉服务，还在于它们广泛的社会行为。在我的实验室里，我们研究产妇保健和营养生态学之间的相互作用。我们的研究重点是小木蜂作为研究社会进化和传粉者健康的模型。我们开发了广泛的工具、技术，并分享了与进化生态学家和保护生物学家广泛相关的开放访问数据。******我们的研究的第一部分集中在母亲的照顾和后代的发展。我们之所以研究小木蜂，是因为它们是一种独居的蜜蜂，具有许多社会倾向，包括长时间的母性照顾、对后代的梳理和保护、广泛的母-成后代互动以及巢中成虫的相互容忍。此外，它们在当地很丰富，在野外和实验室环境中都很容易处理。我们正在研究母亲照顾和母亲与后代的互动对后代是否发展成宽容或攻击性个体的作用。我们的研究包括观察群体，这使我们能够跟踪母亲与后代的互动，并通过实验改变它们的营养和社会环境。我们还利用基因组学方法鉴定了母系采集的花粉、社会传播的微生物及其对后代基因表达的影响，以了解母系护理对后代营养和发育的作用。******我们研究的第二部分集中在营养生态学和传粉者的健康。母亲不仅在后代的生产和生存中起着至关重要的作用，而且可以说环境因素，如食物供应、疾病和筑巢习惯也有压倒性的影响。我们的研究表明，蜜蜂不仅在数量上敏感，而且在资源质量上敏感。此外，越来越多的人认识到核心营养是由核心微生物群补充的。营养不良和与病原体作斗争的蜜蜂存活率降低，而且很少繁殖。我们的目标是确定蜜蜂的核心营养需求和健康微生物群，为景观恢复和保护实践提供信息。有了有关营养需求及其在景观中的可用性的数据，我们可以更好地保护传粉媒介种群。******我们的研究对所有加拿大人都很重要，因为我们的系统在允许对健康蜜蜂的所有组成部分进行实验评估方面是独一无二的。在实践方面，我们的研究还为传粉媒介的种植、保护状况建议和蜜蜂栖息地提供了广泛的农场、森林和城市土地利用实践。我们透过公开讲座、教育网站、学校参观及自然导赏等方式，广泛传播资讯。学生在我们实验室学到的技能将直接转化为教学、研究、环境监测、工业和科学传播方面的职业。