<i>Crithidia bombi</i>can infect two solitary bee species while host survivorship depends on diet

Figueroa, Laura L.; Grincavitch, Cali; McArt, Scott H.

doi:10.1017/s0031182020002218

Cited by 27 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 72 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…E. arbustorum ies defecated comparable volumes to O. lignaria bees, and E. tenax ies defecated the largest fecal volumes of the four pollinators. Although both bees are competent vectors of C. bombi 21 , our results suggest that O. lignaria may be more likely to transmit the parasite, as this bee species defecates larger fecal volumes than M. rotundata. Susceptible pollinators are more likely to acquire fecalorally transmitted parasites from large volumes of infected feces when foraging, as large fecal events take longer to evaporate, thus allowing parasites to survive for a greater period of time outside of a host 35 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…However, 93% of inoculated ies defecated live C. bombi in their rst fecal event, often at levels capable of infecting bumble bees. In addition, we show that Eristalis arbustorum and E. tenax both defecate comparable or larger volumes, respectively, of feces compared to Megachile rotundata and Osmia lignaria, two solitary bees that are recently con rmed hosts of C. bombi 21,22 . Furthermore, E. tenax and E. arbustorum are both shown to defecate on owers, which are indirect transmission routes for C. bombi 31,35,36 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Most information about pollinator parasites is known from social bees 7,14,15 . Honey bees and bumble bees were previously thought to be the only host of certain viruses, microsporidians and trypanosomes, but recent studies have found many of these same parasites are present in and can infect wild solitary bee species, too [16][17][18][19][20][21][22] . The host range of these parasites, however, is understudied, and limited studies have assessed the incidence and infectivity of bee parasites in non-bee pollinators.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The trypanosome gut parasite Crithidia bombi lacks cell-speci c host requirements compared to intracellular parasites such as microsporidian Nosema spp. 26,27,28 , has been found in a wide variety of solitary and social bees 15,21,22 , and despite historically being considered a "bumble bee parasite," has recently been found to replicate in two species of solitary bees, the alfalfa leafcutter bee, Megachile rotundata, and blue orchard bee, Osmia lignaria 21,22 . The rather broad host requirements of C. bombi indicate this parasite may be able to infect, or pass through, the guts of many different ower-visiting insects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Eristalis (Diptera: Syrphidae) Flower Flies are Potential Non-host Vectors of the Common Trypanosome Bee Parasite, Crithidia Bombi

Davis

Deutsch

Torres

et al. 2021

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Flowers can be transmission platforms for parasites that impact bee health, yet bees share floral resources with other pollinator taxa, such as flies, that could be hosts or non-host vectors (i.e., mechanical vectors) of parasites. Here, we assessed whether the fecal-orally transmitted gut parasite of bees, Crithidia bombi, can infect Eristalis tenax flower flies. We also investigated the potential for two confirmed solitary bee hosts of C. bombi, Osmia lignaria and Megachile rotundata, as well as two flower fly species, Eristalis arbustorum and E. tenax, to transmit the parasite at flowers. We found that C. bombi did not replicate (i.e., cause an active infection) in E. tenax flies. However, 93% of inoculated flies defecated live C. bombi in their first fecal event, and all contaminated fecal events contained C. bombi at concentrations sufficient to infect bumble bees. Flies and bees defecated inside the corolla (flower) more frequently than other plant locations, and flies defecated at volumes comparable to or greater than bees. Our results demonstrate that Eristalis flower flies are not hosts of C. bombi, but they may be mechanical vectors of this parasite at flowers. Thus, flower flies may amplify or dilute C. bombi in bee communities.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Eristalis (Diptera: Syrphidae) Flower Flies are Potential Non-host Vectors of the Common Trypanosome Bee Parasite, Crithidia Bombi

Davis

Deutsch

Torres

et al. 2021

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The trypanosome gut parasite Crithidia bombi (Lipa & Triggiani 1988) lacks cell-specific host requirements compared to intracellular parasites, such as microsporidian Nosema spp . 26 – 28 , and has been found in a wide variety of solitary and social bees 15 , 21 , 22 . Despite historically being considered a “bumble bee parasite,” C. bombi was recently found to replicate in two species of solitary bees, the alfalfa leafcutter bee, Megachile rotundata (Fabricius 1787), and blue orchard bee, Osmia lignaria (Say 1837) 21 , 22 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eristalis flower flies can be mechanical vectors of the common trypanosome bee parasite, Crithidia bombi

Davis

Deutsch

Torres

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Flowers can be transmission platforms for parasites that impact bee health, yet bees share floral resources with other pollinator taxa, such as flies, that may be hosts or non-host vectors (i.e., mechanical vectors) of parasites. Here, we assessed whether the fecal-orally transmitted gut parasite of bees, Crithidia bombi, can infect Eristalis tenax flower flies. We also investigated the potential for two confirmed solitary bee hosts of C. bombi, Osmia lignaria and Megachile rotundata, as well as two flower fly species, Eristalis arbustorum and E. tenax, to transmit the parasite at flowers. We found that C. bombi did not replicate (i.e., cause an active infection) in E. tenax flies. However, 93% of inoculated flies defecated live C. bombi in their first fecal event, and all contaminated fecal events contained C. bombi at concentrations sufficient to infect bumble bees. Flies and bees defecated inside the corolla (flower) more frequently than other plant locations, and flies defecated at volumes comparable to or greater than bees. Our results demonstrate that Eristalis flower flies are not hosts of C. bombi, but they may be mechanical vectors of this parasite at flowers. Thus, flower flies may amplify or dilute C. bombi in bee communities, though current theoretical work suggests that unless present in large populations, the effects of mechanical vectors will be smaller than hosts.

show abstract

Host and floral communities shape parasite prevalence and reproduction in intensively managed forests

Ponisio,

Cohen,

Galbraith

et al. 2024

Ecosphere

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding how working landscapes can maintain viable wildlife populations is key to evaluating their conservation potential. We assessed the potential of intensively managed conifer forests for supporting healthy, productive bee populations in one of the major timber‐growing regions of the world, the Pacific Northwest. We examined the direct effect of the number of years post‐harvest and other forest characteristics on flowering plant and bee communities and their indirect effect on parasite prevalence (Apicystis spp., Ascosphaera spp., and Crithidia spp.) and reproduction of a native, forest‐dwelling solitary bee (Osmia lignaria). Forest characteristics, including the time elapsed since harvest, influenced floral and bee community diversity and abundance and indirectly impacted parasite prevalence and offspring production. We found that increased bee diversity was associated with reduced parasite prevalence—consistent with a dilution effect—but the strength of the relationship varied across the different parasites. Additionally, bee abundance was more consistently associated with increased parasite prevalence, providing evidence of amplification. Floral abundance was only associated with lower Apicystis spp. prevalence. Across all parasite models, however, the values were <20%, indicating that additional factors shape bee communities beyond those we examined. Offspring production was positively related to floral diversity but not to parasite prevalence. Our results suggest that managing floral diversity is critical to enhancing the value of these landscapes for wild bee communities, both directly through promoting bee diversity and reproduction, and indirectly through facilitating parasite dilution.

show abstract

Crithidia bombican infect two solitary bee species while host survivorship depends on diet

Abstract: Abstract

Cited by 27 publications

References 72 publications

Eristalis (Diptera: Syrphidae) Flower Flies are Potential Non-host Vectors of the Common Trypanosome Bee Parasite, Crithidia Bombi

Eristalis (Diptera: Syrphidae) Flower Flies are Potential Non-host Vectors of the Common Trypanosome Bee Parasite, Crithidia Bombi

Eristalis flower flies can be mechanical vectors of the common trypanosome bee parasite, Crithidia bombi

Host and floral communities shape parasite prevalence and reproduction in intensively managed forests

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About