Elucidating the coevolutionary relationship between sociality and social immunity: a study using facultatively social bees

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K06292
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 45020:Evolutionary biology-related
• Research Institution: Tokyo Metropolitan University
• Principal Investigator: Cronin Adam 東京都立大学, 理学研究科, 准教授 (30620489)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: climate change / bees / thermal tolerance / latitudinal gradient

Outline of Final Research Achievements

For the 2023/2024 fiscal year, the primary goal was to finalize the experimental setup and establish field sites. This involved purchasing the required equipment and carefully designing and preparing the protocol, materials, and conditions required for the project. We contacted Japanese researchers to build collaborative networks across Japan to help with the collection of bees and establish fieldwork sites for the upcoming year. We conducted preliminary fieldwork in Tokashiki, Okinawa to collect bee specimens which were necessary for initially testing and validating the experimental approach.

Free Research Field

Behavioural Ecology

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

We provided the first insights into how immune responsiveness varies intra-specifically in different social and environmental contexts. This information provides unique insights into the evolution of social immunity.