How do parasites and hosts interact with each other?
How does this determine the health of bees?
How do anthropogenic changes affect these relationships?
Our work addresses these questions in the One Health framework, with the aim of supporting healthy bee populations, and the ecosystem service of pollination that they provide.
Current research areas
The epidemiology and evolutionary ecology of parasites in bumblebees
We use bumblebees as a model system to understand (i) the epidemiology of parasites in their hosts, (ii) the ecological impact of parasites, and (iii) host defences against parasites. Bumblebees are a great system to study, as their parasites have been well-documented, and we have an array of tools - from classical parasitology to ‘omics - that enable us to dissect these relationships. In addition, because they are key pollinators for crops and wildflowers, our work on them has direct applied value. By integrating studies from the lab to the field, we aim to produce a holistic understanding of these complex multi-host/multi-parasite systems.
Pathogen spillover
Pathogen and parasite spillover is one of the major drivers of biodiversity decline. We demonstrated the potential for widespread spillover of parasites and pathogens from managed pollinators to wild pollinators (Fürst et al. 2014). Our current work aims to understand what this means for wild bee health, and how we can mitigate this threat.
Nature’s pharmacy
The exploitation of natural medicines is one way that wild animals can control their parasites. We collaborate with Professor Phil Stevenson and his group at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew to ask whether, and how, wild bees exploit natural plant chemistry to manage the parasites that exploit them. Answering this question will enable us to recommend mitigation measures that support both healthy wild bee populations, and the parasites that rely on them.
Pesticides and bee health
In a world dominated by agricultural landscapes, animals and plants are exposed to numerous anthropogenic stressors. At the same time, biodiversity is essential for agricultural output. For example, key crops rely on pollination services supplied by wild pollinators. Our work aims to understand how wild pollinators are exposed to pesticides, how pesticides impact pollinator health, and how we can mitigate these impacts to enable both effective agriculture and healthy pollinator populations.
Social insect biology
All of the research described above relies upon an understanding of the biology of pollinators. Our focal taxon, bumblebees, are eusocial insects with complex annual colony structures and lifecycles. We use a variety of approaches, from behavioural studies in the lab to ecological studies in the field, and tools, from experimental biology to ‘omics, to develop our understanding of these fascinating and charismatic animals.
Publications
Full list of publications via Google Scholar