Investigating the influence of diet diversity on infection outcomes in a bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) and microsporidian (Nosema bombi) host-pathogen system.

ABSTRACT: Diet can have an array of both direct and indirect effects on an organism's health and fitness, which can influence the outcomes of host-pathogen interactions. Land use changes, which could impact diet quantity and quality, have imposed foraging stress on important natural and agricultural pollinators. Diet related stress could exacerbate existing negative impacts of pathogen infection. Accounting for most of its nutritional intake in terms of protein and many micronutrients, pollen can influence bee health through changes in immunity, infection, and various aspects of individual and colony fitness. We investigate how adult pollen consumption, pollen type, and pollen diversity influence bumble bee Bombus impatiens survival and infection outcomes for a microsporidian pathogen Nose

SUBMITTER: Martinez A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10926413 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature