DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The Buzz about Bee Behavior, Taking an Interdisciplinary Approach to Assess Cognitive Impairments behind Pollinator Declines

Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester MA

Investigators

Abstract

Animal pollinators are declining in abundance, diversity, and geographic range at an alarming rate worldwide. Given the critical role of pollinators in natural and agricultural ecosystems, these declines represent a significant threat to global biodiversity and crop production. However, conservation and restoration efforts to address this important problem are impeded by a lack of information on mechanistic links between environmental stressors and population decline. To address this important knowledge gap, the investigators will examine sub-lethal effects of chronic exposure to different stressors on brain functions important for pollinator survival and reproduction. The investigators will develop quantitative tools to measure physiological and molecular responses to environmental stressors in pollinators, and then correlate those changes with changes in their brain functioning and behavior. In addition to elucidating causal factors in pollinator decline, the research will allow for the development of ecological tools for monitoring pollinator health in wild populations, thereby accelerating efforts to identify and protect species particularly susceptible to decline. The investigators will also engage in pollinator-focused educational outreach activities for K-12 educators, students, particularly those from underrepresented groups, and the local community. This project utilizes a highly interdisciplinary approach to characterize mechanisms linking exposure to pesticides and infectious agents to cognition-based behavioral impairments in bumblebee pollinators native to North America. Molecular and immunological approaches will be used to develop methods for the identification and quantification of compounds produced by the humoral pathway of the bee immune system in response to infection. Ecotoxicological approaches will be used to develop tools for the quantification of pesticide and metabolite residues in specific bee tissues after chronic exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides. Measures of pesticide and immune responses will be correlated with performance on standard behavioral assays of cognitive function in order to identify the mechanistic underpinnings of behavioral alterations observed when bees are exposed to environmental stressors. All digital data generated from the research will be stored on an EMC Isilon storage array that is maintained by the local institution's Center for Academic and Research Computing. All analyzed primary data under this award will be promptly published to peer-reviewed journal publications. The findings of the research will also be disseminated at domestic and international professional conferences.