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The effect of pathogens on honeybee learning and foraging behaviour
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Wright, Emma, (Researcher in life sciences) (2013) The effect of pathogens on honeybee learning and foraging behaviour. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.
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WRAP_THESIS_Wright_2013.pdf - Submitted Version Download (4Mb) | Preview |
Official URL: http://webcat.warwick.ac.uk/record=b2685642~S1
Abstract
The European honeybee, Apis mellifera, is important economically not just for honey
production but also as a pollinator. Bee pollinated plants contribute towards one third of the
food eaten worldwide. However, honeybee numbers in some areas are declining. A range
of interacting factors are thought to be involved, including pathogens and parasites, loss of
forage, pesticide use, bad weather, and limited genetic variability. Pathogens are also
known to cause changes in the behaviour of their hosts and these premortality and
sublethal effects of disease may well play a role in colony declines and are the focus of this
thesis.
For individual bees the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae was used as a model pathogen and
RT-Q-PCR was used to detect and quantify naturally occurring pathogens. In field colonies
the level of infestation of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor was modified as a surrogate
for disease load as the amounts of many viruses correlate with mite levels.
Survival experiments showed that both disease load and forage availability had an effect on
honeybee longevity and feeding the bees pollen increased their survival. Learning
experiments showed that both the fungus and some of the bees’ naturally occurring
pathogens caused changes in the learning ability of young adult and older forager bees.
Young adult bees were better able to learn when infected with the fungus, possibly because
it made them more responsive to the sucrose stimulus, whilst older forager bees where less
able to learn when infected with the fungus. Harmonic radar was used to show that
honeybee flight ability was affected by naturally occurring pathogens, especially deformed
wing virus which caused bees to fly shorter distances and for shorter amounts of time than
uninfected bees. Observation hives were used to study in-hive behaviour showing that bees
with more pathogens were likely to start foraging earlier than healthier bees.
Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) | ||||
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Subjects: | Q Science > QL Zoology Q Science > QR Microbiology S Agriculture > SF Animal culture |
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Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Honeybee -- Pathogens, Honeybee -- Parasites, Honeybee -- Behavior -- Research, Honeybee -- Food | ||||
Official Date: | February 2013 | ||||
Dates: |
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Institution: | University of Warwick | ||||
Theses Department: | School of Life Sciences | ||||
Thesis Type: | PhD | ||||
Publication Status: | Unpublished | ||||
Supervisor(s)/Advisor: | Pell, Judy ; Osborne, Juliet L. ; Chandler, Dave | ||||
Sponsors: | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (Great Britain) (BBSRC) | ||||
Description: | Completed in conjunction with Rothamsted Research |
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Extent: | xvi, 177 leaves : charts, illustrations | ||||
Language: | eng |
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