NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2010

Mcfrederick Quinn S, Charlottesville VA

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2010. The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow who also presents a plan to broaden participation in biology. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to Quinn McFrederick is "Microbial communities associated with social and solitary sweat bees: implications for bee health." The host institution for this research is University of Texas at Austin, and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Ulrich Mueller. Wild and managed bee populations are in decline, threatening both natural and agricultural ecosystems that depend on their essential pollination services. Although no causal relationships have been established, links between pollinator declines and pathogens have been posited. This project uses next generation sequencing to screen microbial communities found in the nests of socially variable wild bees in the genus Megalopta. Two hypotheses are being tested: 1) microbial communities inside the enclosed ecosystem of a bee's brood chamber exhibit predictable patterns of community structure and 2) microbial communities in the nests of social bees are more diverse than communities in the nests of solitary bees. A major goal of the project is to determine how microbes affect bee health by identifying putative pathogens and mutualists and examining their interactions. Training objectives include analysis and interpretation of the large amounts of data produced by next generation sequencing technology, and development of a research program that utilizes new tools to answer as yet unanswered questions of social evolution and pollinator health. This greater understanding of how microbes affect the health of pollinators is all the more important in the era of honey bee colony collapse disorder and wild pollinator decline. Broader impacts include substantial public outreach as well as educational outreach to students, especially those with disabilities.