Effects of Planted Pollinator Habitat On Bee Health And Interspecific Pathogen Detection
Abstract Shared resources can instigate pathogen spread due to large congregations of individuals in both natural and human modified resources. Of concern is the addition of pollinator habitat in conservation efforts as it attracts bees of various species, potentially instigating interspecific sharing of pathogens. Common pathogens have been documented across a wide variety of pollinators with shared floral resources instigating their spread in some, but not all, cases. To evaluate the impact of augmented pollinator habitat on bee health, we screened samples from eight bee species across three families against a panel of 9 pathogens using RT-qPCR. While we found that some habitat characteristics influenced pathogen detection, we found no evidence that pathogen detection in one bee species was correlated with pathogen detection in another. These findings suggest factors other than the habitat itself may be more critical in the dissemination of diseases among bee species. However, we found high levels of gut parasites in some bee species which may be of concern, such as Bombus pensylvanicus. Future monitoring of bee health at augmented pollinator habitat is needed to ensure pathogens do not build up over time to then spread within their communities.