2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Origins, spread and evolution of novel honey bee parasites and diseases

Research Project

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Project/Area Number	18H02216
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Review Section	Basic Section 39050:Insect science-related
Research Institution	Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University
Principal Investigator	Mikheyev Alexander 沖縄科学技術大学院大学, 生態・進化学ユニット, 准教授 (90601162)
Project Period (FY)	2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
Keywords	evolution / parasites / honey bees
Outline of Final Research Achievements	Successful host switches by parasites are evolutionary events that enable them to access new resources, and can lead to eventual speciation. Host switch events can be difficult to observe, yet they can lead to worldwide pandemics. We reconstructed the demographic history of host switches by two species of ectoparasites, Varroa mites, which are the principal drivers of worldwide honey bee declines. Varroa mites are believed to be “quasi-clonal”, making their worldwide success a genetic paradox. However, we found that the host switch involved the genetic equivalent of hundreds of individuals, explaining the remarkable adaptation of the parasites to both diverse bee populations and pesticides. These results highlight the importance of demographic parameters, particularly genetic diversity, for parasitic host switches.
Free Research Field	evolution
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	Our results highlight the importance of demographic parameters, particularly genetic diversity, for parasitic host switches