Bee Traits Under Natural and Artificial Selection to Bee Pathogens

Inter-organismal conflict is a powerful driver of evolution by natural selection through exploration of competitive fitness landscapes. As stewards of agricultural species that provide us with agricultural products and services, humanity has developed skills in navigating these landscapes. Selective breeding programs have focused on a wide array of traits of interest, including fruit size, flavor, and pest and disease resistance. Selection for complex traits like disease resistance remains a challenge for agricultural science. Investigation of naturally acquired traits provides information about the genetic architecture of traits, enabling targeted interventions. As an example, the Varroa Sensitive Hygiene (VSH) trait is associated with variants in vision- and olfactory-related genes, providing a target for future breeding programs. New generations of biopesticides that engage directly with the insect immune system (e.g., RNAi pesticides) to combat disease require interrogation for potential off-target effects in beneficial species. Double-stranded RNA molecules act as virus-associated molecular patterns and thereby activate the antiviral immune systems of insects. Unlike in other species, the non-specific effects of dsRNA on immune activation in bees are poorly defined, with unknown ecological consequences. Understanding the genetic architecture of natural immune responses is also a prerequisite for assessing these off-target risks.This Research Topic aims to expand our understanding of traits under selection to bee pathogens. Managed bee species (e.g., Apis sp., Bombus sp., Osmia sp., Megachile sp.) share an agroecosystem with countless other invertebrate species, including other non-managed bee pollinators. Pathogens, which are transmitted between managed and wild invertebrate species, pose a major threat to managed bee colonies. However, their threat to wild species remains unclear due to limited investigation. Furthermore, the agricultural importance and widespread husbandry of honeybees (Apis sp.) have led to a clear bias in the literature. While several key studies have examined the effects of dsRNA molecules on honeybees, the impacts of this burgeoning biopesticide on non-target species remain unknown. Therefore, the set of solutions to this problem remains restricted due to our relatively narrow scope of this problem. By expanding our grasp on the how, what, and why of adaptations and responses to pathogens or pathogen-associated molecules in bee species, we will not only improve management strategies but also improve ecological risk models for disease and biopesticides.For this Research Topic, we welcome articles that address key areas including, but not limited to: 1. Identification of novel traits conferring resistance or tolerance to pathogens. 2. Exploration of behavioral adaptations to pathogens, including across levels of sociality. 3. Investigation of the genetic architecture underpinning adaptations. 4. Biomolecular and biochemical mechanisms of pathogen resistance or tolerance. 5. Description of molecular responses to previously described bee pathogens in novel hosts. 6. Trait-based and/or genetics-based phylogenetic studies of adaptations. 7. Interdisciplinary studies that combine any number of these areas. 8. Reviews or meta-analyses of the impacts and responses to bee pathogens in non-Apis species. We strongly encourage the submission of articles that compare or contrast multiple bee species. Ensuring global food security and long-term ecological health requires greater attention to how bees combat and survive pathogen infection. Topic editors: Alexander McMenamin, Fabio Manfredini Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81263/bee-traits-under-natural-and-artificial-selection-to-bee-pathogens