Research article - Peer-reviewed, 2022
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Honey bees and climate explain viral prevalence in wild bee communities on a continental scale
Piot, Niels; Schweiger, Oliver; Meeus, Ivan; Yanez, Orlando; Straub, Lars; Villamar-Bouza, Laura; De la Rua, Pilar; Jara, Laura; Ruiz, Carlos; Malmstrom, Martin; Mustafa, Sandra; Nielsen, Anders; Mand, Marika; Karise, Reet; Tlak-Gajger, Ivana; Ozgor, Erkay; Keskin, Nevin; Dievart, Virginie; Dalmon, Anne; Gajda, Anna;Show more authors
Abstract
Viruses are omnipresent, yet the knowledge on drivers of viral prevalence in wild host populations is often limited. Biotic factors, such as sympatric managed host species, as well as abiotic factors, such as climatic variables, are likely to impact viral prevalence. Managed and wild bees, which harbor several multi-host viruses with a mostly fecal-oral between-species transmission route, provide an excellent system with which to test for the impact of biotic and abiotic factors on viral prevalence in wild host populations. Here we show on a continental scale that the prevalence of three broad host viruses: the AKI-complex (Acute bee paralysis virus, Kashmir bee virus and Israeli acute paralysis virus), Deformed wing virus, and Slow bee paralysis virus in wild bee populations (bumble bees and solitary bees) is positively related to viral prevalence of sympatric honey bees as well as being impacted by climatic variables. The former highlights the need for good beekeeping practices, including Varroa destructor management to reduce honey bee viral infection and hive placement. Furthermore, we found that viral prevalence in wild bees is at its lowest at the extreme ends of both temperature and precipitation ranges. Under predicted climate change, the frequency of extremes in precipitation and temperature will continue to increase and may hence impact viral prevalence in wild bee communities.Published in
Scientific Reports2022, volume: 12, number: 1, article number: 1904
Publisher: NATURE PORTFOLIO
Authors' information
Piot, Niels
Ghent University
Schweiger, Oliver
Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ)
Meeus, Ivan
Ghent University
Yanez, Orlando
University of Bern
Straub, Lars
University of Bern
Villamar-Bouza, Laura
European Food Safety Authority
Villamar-Bouza, Laura
University of Bern
De la Rua, Pilar
University of Murcia
Jara, Laura
University of Murcia
Jara, Laura
Ghent University
Ruiz, Carlos
University of Murcia
Ruiz, Carlos
Universidad de la Laguna
Malmstrom, Martin
University of Oslo
Mustafa, Sandra
Martin Luther University Halle Wittenberg
Mustafa, Sandra
University of Pretoria
Nielsen, Anders
Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research
Nielsen, Anders
University of Oslo
Mand, Marika
Estonian University of Life Sciences
Karise, Reet
Estonian University of Life Sciences
Tlak-Gajger, Ivana
University of Zagreb
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG15 Life on land
SDG13 Climate action
UKÄ Subject classification
Ecology
Publication Identifiers
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-05603-2
URI (permanent link to this page)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/115966