Evolutionary and Ecological Patterns in Bumble Bees (Bombus Spp.)

Evolutionary and Ecological Patterns in Bumble Bees (Bombus Spp.) PDF Author: Briana Danielle Ezray
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The formation and maintenance of biodiversity patterns are driven by the interplay between ecology and evolution. Globally, biodiversity loss is occurring among numerous organisms ranging from mammals to invertebrates. Bees, for instance, are experiencing drastic population declines and range reductions. These declines have been attributed to reduced genetic diversity, agricultural intensification, pesticides, pathogens, and parasites. To conserve bee populations, a thorough understanding of how various ecological and evolutionary factors interact to drive organismal and community diversity and distribution is necessary. Here, I examine both mimetic and epidemiological dynamics with the goal of determining the spatial distribution, temporal changes, and ecological and evolutionary selective factors involved in the establishment of geographic and phylogenetic patterns. To advance the understanding of the evolutionary and ecological processes that drive mimetic color distribution in bumble bees, I utilized an innovative, machine learning method to quantify color pattern perception. I then applied these perceptual values to both spatial and phylogenetic analyses. To further examine the processes driving patterns and distributions of a polymorphic bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, I employed COI barcoding to detect patterns of historical biogeography and selection. To improve the understanding of the epidemiological dynamics of bee communities, I conducted a longitudinal survey of pathogen and parasite seasonality across honey bees (Apis mellifera) and the common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens). I further explored the dynamics surrounding cross-species horizontal transmission by determining the persistence of Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) particles, outside of a host, in the environment. Ultimately, I found that (1) bumble bees are continuously converging on a local, average color pattern, (2) historical events may have driven the distribution of color patterns of a dimorphic species, B. melanopygus, (3) pathogens and parasites display unique seasonal trends with honey bees maintaining and bumble bees purging pathogens through the overwintering period, and (4) DWV viral particles may be able to survive outside the host for greater than 2 months. Together, these results enhance knowledge regarding the influence of various evolutionary and ecological dynamics on the community composition of bumble bee species themselves as well as the pathogens and parasites they harbor.

Evolutionary and Ecological Patterns in Bumble Bees (Bombus Spp.)

Evolutionary and Ecological Patterns in Bumble Bees (Bombus Spp.) PDF Author: Briana Danielle Ezray
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book Here

Book Description
The formation and maintenance of biodiversity patterns are driven by the interplay between ecology and evolution. Globally, biodiversity loss is occurring among numerous organisms ranging from mammals to invertebrates. Bees, for instance, are experiencing drastic population declines and range reductions. These declines have been attributed to reduced genetic diversity, agricultural intensification, pesticides, pathogens, and parasites. To conserve bee populations, a thorough understanding of how various ecological and evolutionary factors interact to drive organismal and community diversity and distribution is necessary. Here, I examine both mimetic and epidemiological dynamics with the goal of determining the spatial distribution, temporal changes, and ecological and evolutionary selective factors involved in the establishment of geographic and phylogenetic patterns. To advance the understanding of the evolutionary and ecological processes that drive mimetic color distribution in bumble bees, I utilized an innovative, machine learning method to quantify color pattern perception. I then applied these perceptual values to both spatial and phylogenetic analyses. To further examine the processes driving patterns and distributions of a polymorphic bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, I employed COI barcoding to detect patterns of historical biogeography and selection. To improve the understanding of the epidemiological dynamics of bee communities, I conducted a longitudinal survey of pathogen and parasite seasonality across honey bees (Apis mellifera) and the common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens). I further explored the dynamics surrounding cross-species horizontal transmission by determining the persistence of Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) particles, outside of a host, in the environment. Ultimately, I found that (1) bumble bees are continuously converging on a local, average color pattern, (2) historical events may have driven the distribution of color patterns of a dimorphic species, B. melanopygus, (3) pathogens and parasites display unique seasonal trends with honey bees maintaining and bumble bees purging pathogens through the overwintering period, and (4) DWV viral particles may be able to survive outside the host for greater than 2 months. Together, these results enhance knowledge regarding the influence of various evolutionary and ecological dynamics on the community composition of bumble bee species themselves as well as the pathogens and parasites they harbor.

Bumble Bees of North America

Bumble Bees of North America PDF Author: Paul H. Williams
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400851181
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 209

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Book Description
The essential guide for identifying the bumble bees of North America More than ever before, there is widespread interest in studying bumble bees and the critical role they play in our ecosystems. Bumble Bees of North America is the first comprehensive guide to North American bumble bees to be published in more than a century. Richly illustrated with color photographs, diagrams, range maps, and graphs of seasonal activity patterns, this guide allows amateur and professional naturalists to identify all 46 bumble bee species found north of Mexico and to understand their ecology and changing geographic distributions. The book draws on the latest molecular research, shows the enormous color variation within species, and guides readers through the many confusing convergences between species. It draws on a large repository of data from museum collections and presents state-of-the-art results on evolutionary relationships, distributions, and ecological roles. Illustrated keys allow identification of color morphs and social castes. A landmark publication, Bumble Bees of North America sets the standard for guides and the study of these important insects. The best guide yet to the 46 recognized bumble bee species in North America north of Mexico Up-to-date taxonomy includes previously unpublished results Detailed distribution maps Extensive keys identify the many color patterns of species

Ecological and Evolutionary Aspects of Bumble Bee Diapause

Ecological and Evolutionary Aspects of Bumble Bee Diapause PDF Author: Erin D. Treanore
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Diapause is a key adaptation allowing insects to survive in unfavorable conditions. During diapause, insects are faced with numerous stressors, including extreme temperatures, limited food resources, pathogens, and desiccation, all of which can limit survival. To cope with the challenges of diapause, insects often undergo a characteristic suite of physiological and behavioral changes, such as the sequestration of additional nutritional reserves prior to diapause to meet their metabolic needs. However, even with adequate preparation, diapause can function as a bottleneck for survival in the life cycle of many insect groups. In annual pollinators facing population declines, identifying challenges associated with diapause can be imperative to reducing mortality and increasing reproductive performances. In this dissertation, I investigated how the winter diapause can function as a bottleneck for survival in the bumble bees Bombus impatiens. I examined ecological and evolutionary aspects that shape bumble bee social behavior and susceptibility to environmental stressors. I employed physiological, molecular, and organismal-level techniques to investigate the physiological pressures associated with diapause and the evolutionary ramifications of these pressures. I further studied the long-term implications of the pre-diapause period on reproduction and how diapause operates in concert with other stimuli that induce reproduction. I first asked whether diapause played a role in the evolution of female castes in Bombus by examining shifts in worker physiology and gene-expression across a colony's seasonal development. My results revealed that workers produced early in the season had a reproductive-like physiological signature, whereas workers produced later in the season had a diapause-like physiological signature, thereby possessing traits that would be beneficial for surviving in a seasonal environment. I then focused on the pre-diapause period of the life cycle and asked how the timing of nutrient acquisition, the queen's age, and whole-body wet mass would predict queen survival in diapause. To determine whether the quality of the nutrients consumed during this period affected diapause survival, I manipulated pollen to alter the amounts and ratios of its main macronutrients (protein and lipid). I found that queens acquired nutrients primarily in the first week of their life and suffered from age-related stress as they aged. I identified an optimum timeframe to enter diapause in which queens were most likely to survive. The composition of the pollen diets prior to diapause also affected queen diapause survival, and queens consuming proteins and lipids in a ratio of 5:1 had the highest survival rates. Additionally, I investigated two stimuli known to trigger reproduction in B. impatiens, CO2 narcosis and cold storage. I asked whether they act in concert to affect reproduction and found that the effect of CO2 diminished after a longer period of cold storage and that cold storage and CO2 have partially additive effects on reproduction. Finally, I brought together techniques and results from these various studies to demonstrate how captive rearing of bumble bees can be improved by overcoming challenges associated with the solitary phase of the life cycle. I show that there are optimum ages for mating in both sexes, and that colony foundation can be aided by exposing queens to social stimuli. Ultimately, my studies revealed that surviving the physiological challenges of the winter diapause requires adequate preparation, especially with regard to nutrient consumption. These results have important implications to understanding the evolution of female castes in Bombus, and for improving survival and reproduction during and post diapause in annual pollinators. The findings further provide tools to improve captive rearing of bumble bees for research and pollination services.

Bumblebees

Bumblebees PDF Author: Dave Goulson
Publisher: Oxford University Press on Demand
ISBN: 0199553068
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 330

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Book Description
This book provides a concise and readable summary of the ecology and behaviour of bumblebees, with a particular focus on practical issues such as conservation strategies, management of bumblebees for crop pollination, and the possible impacts of bumblebees as non-native invasive species.

Bumblebees

Bumblebees PDF Author: Dave Goulson
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 9780198526070
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
Bumblebees are undergoing a widespread decline, but this has not yet caught the attention of the general public to the same extent as, for example, the plight of rare butterflies or birds. This title attempts to draw attention to the importance of conserving dwindling bumblebee populations.

Wildlife Disease Ecology

Wildlife Disease Ecology PDF Author: Kenneth Wilson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107136563
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 693

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Book Description
Introduces readers to key case studies that illustrate how theory and data can be integrated to understand wildlife disease ecology.

Bumble Bees of the Western United States

Bumble Bees of the Western United States PDF Author: Jonathan Koch
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Bumblebees
Languages : en
Pages : 144

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Book Description


Ecology of Cities and Towns

Ecology of Cities and Towns PDF Author: Mark J. McDonnell
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521861128
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 747

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Book Description
Assesses the current status, and future challenges and opportunities, of the ecological study, design and management of cities and towns.

Social Evolution in Ants

Social Evolution in Ants PDF Author: Andrew F.G. Bourke
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691044260
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 543

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Book Description
Biologists have long been intrigued and confounded by the complex issues in the evolution and ecology of the social behaviour of insects. The self-sacrifice of sterile workers in ant colonies has been particularly difficult for evolutionary biologists to explain. This text presents an overview of the current state of scientific knowledge about social evolution in ants and shows how studies on ants have contributed to an understanding of many fundamental topics in behavioural ecology and evolutionary biology.

Genome Analysis: Current Procedures and Applications

Genome Analysis: Current Procedures and Applications PDF Author: Maria S. Poptsova
Publisher: Caister Academic Press
ISBN: 9781912530205
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 398

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Book Description
In recent years there have been tremendous achievements made in DNA sequencing technologies and corresponding innovations in data analysis and bioinformatics that have revolutionized the field of genome analysis.In this book, an impressive array of expert authors highlight and review current advances in genome analysis. This volume provides an invaluable, up-to-date and comprehensive overview of the methods currently employed for next-generation sequencing (NGS) data analysis, highlights their problems and limitations, demonstrates the applications and indicates the developing trends in various fields of genome research. The first part of the book is devoted to the methods and applications that arose from, or were significantly advanced by, NGS technologies: the identification of structural variation from DNA-seq data; whole-transcriptome analysis and discovery of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) from RNA-seq data; motif finding in promoter regions, enhancer prediction and nucleosome sequence code discovery from ChiP-Seq data; identification of methylation patterns in cancer from MeDIP-seq data; transposon identification in NGS data; metagenomics and metatranscriptomics; NGS of viral communities; and causes and consequences of genome instabilities. The second part is devoted to the field of RNA biology with the last three chapters devoted to computational methods of RNA structure prediction including context-free grammar applications.An essential book for everyone involved in sequence data analysis, next-generation sequencing, high-throughput sequencing, RNA structure prediction, bioinformatics and genome analysis.