PNAS Science Sessions - Bee communication in a changing world

Описание: Bee communication in a changing world

Bees play a vital role in both natural ecosystems and agriculture by pollinating flowering plants. Social bees, such as honeybees, bumblebees, and stingless bees, possess a variety of communication systems to help coordinate their foraging. The most elaborate form of bee communication is the waggle dance of honeybees, which can tell observing bees how far and in which direction a food source is located. Globally, bees face a myriad of anthropogenic threats including climate change, habitat fragmentation, insecticides, and diseases. These challenges not only threaten the survival of bees but could also affect their communication strategies. If the timing and locations of flower blooms is changed in an altered environment, the value of communication can also change. In some places, honeybees may start to dance less. Exposure to pesticides and diseases can also affect the ability of bees to communicate. Changes to nestmate recognition caused by such exposures may cause bees to reject returning foragers or to allow members of other colonies into the hive, where they might transmit diseases. Without focused conservation efforts, the communication strategies of bees and the invaluable ecosystem services they provide could become endangered.

About our Guests:

Maggie Couvillon
Assistant Professor
Virginia Tech

Christoph Grüter
Senior Lecturer
University of Bristol

Michael Hrncir
Professor
University of Sao Paulo

Elli Leadbeater
Professor
Royal Holloway University of London

Kris Braman
Department Head and Professor
University of Georgia

Denise Alves
Post-doctoral Researcher
University of Sao Paulo

Adam Dolezal
Assistant Professor
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Visit the Podcast page on our website: www.pnas.org/post/podcast/bee-communication-changing-world

Related Articles: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073...
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas...

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About PNAS Science Sessions

The official podcast of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Listen to brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today’s scientific community.

00:00 Introduction
00:45 Description of the waggle dance of honeybees.
1:59 Maggie Couvillon, an entomologist at Virginia Tech, explains what information researchers can glean from the waggle dance.
3:24 Christoph Grüter, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Bristol, describes what impact climatic changes may have on bee communication.
5:13 Michael Hrncir, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Sao Paulo, recorded the impact of rising air temperatures on foraging in stingless bees.
6:48 Grüter explains how landscape changes and habitat fragmentation might affect bee communication.
8:23 Elli Leadbeater, an ecologist at Royal Holloway University of London, found that dancing honeybees found the foraging environment of central London superior to agricultural land.
9:49 Kris Braman, an entomologist at the University of Georgia, studied how the distribution of land cover at different scales influences bee diversity in Georgia.
11:24 Grüter explains how insecticides may alter bee communication strategies.
12:41 Denise Alves, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Sao Paulo, describes how a fungal pesticide can affect nestmate recognition in stingless bees.
14:23 Adam Dolezal, an entomologist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, describes how a bee pathogen affects nestmate recognition in honeybees.
15:17 Final thoughts and conclusion.

#bees #communication #ecology #entomology #waggledance