Do mass flowering crops and eusocial bees contribute to the spread of pathogens among bees?

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K14868
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 39060:Conservation of biological resources-related
• Research Institution: Forest Research and Management Organization
• Principal Investigator: Nakamura Shoko 国立研究開発法人森林研究・整備機構, 森林総合研究所, 主任研究員 等 (60896546)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: ハナバチ / 感染症 / ミツバチ / 花上微生物 / 微胞子虫 / 訪花昆虫 / アンプリコンシーケンス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Some pathogens of flower-visiting insects such as wild bees, which provide essential pollination services for food production and other purposes, are known to be horizontally transmitted on flowers. This study provides insight into the mechanisms of the spread of pathogenic microorganisms within communities of flower-visiting insects by revealing the change in the community composition of microbes on flowers followed by visitations by large insects, the resemblance of microbes on the body surfaces of flower-visitors and on flowers, as well as elucidating some of the mechanisms in which pathogenic microsporidia of honeybees spread among nest mates.

Free Research Field

送粉生態学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

野生の訪花昆虫類は、食糧生産等に不可欠な送粉サービスを提供している。本研究成果は、これらの訪花昆虫類の感染症の伝搬メカニズム解明に貢献し、感染の拡大防止に資する。