Date of Award

5-2023

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Departmental Honors

Department

Biology

Abstract

Male bumble bees play a vital but understudied role in their colonies. They are essential to colony reproduction and success, despite not emerging until the end of the colony's life cycle. Even so, the biology of male bumble bees is not well understood, which leaves our understanding of colony health incomplete. This knowledge gap is important because bumblebee populations are declining, which threatens the ecosystems and industries which rely on them for pollination. This study aimed to understand how two understudied factors of bumble bee health—diet and immunity—are related in males. Pollen, a bee’s main source of protein, has been shown to be an important contributor to the overall health of bees. However, the effect of protein diet on various immune responses is varied. Bombus impatiens males produced by microcolonies were placed into two treatment groups, one with access to protein and one without access to protein. A nylon filament immune challenge was used to assess the encapsulation and melanization immune response in both groups. RT-qPCR was used to compare expression of immune genes involved in melanization and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). A mixed effects model revealed the strength of encapsulation and melanization was statistically similar between the two groups. These findings suggest the response of cellular immune function to protein deprivation in male bumble bees may be similar to what has been previously observed in females. Further scientific understanding of the health of males could lead to overall heightened colony success, preserving bumble bees and the pollination services they provide for both the environment and agriculture.

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Faculty Mentor

Karen Kapheim

Departmental Honors Advisor

Sara Freeman