Emerging Viruses in Bees: From Molecules to Ecology

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Virology
• Animal Health

Background:

• Emerging infectious diseases pose significant threats to biodiversity, with bee-virus systems being a key example.
• Understanding the ecological and evolutionary drivers of disease emergence in host-pathogen communities, particularly bees, is crucial but limited.
• Existing knowledge often fails to integrate evolutionary timescales with host ecology and community structure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and synthesize current knowledge on ecological factors and evolutionary forces driving disease emergence in bees.
• To propose a novel 'molecule-to-ecology' framework for understanding host-pathogen dynamics.
• To highlight the bee-virus system as an ideal model for testing this framework due to its accessibility and complexity.

Main Methods:

• Literature review synthesizing ecological and evolutionary perspectives on bee virus emergence.
• Integration of host community ecology, including biodiversity loss and human disturbance.
• Development of a framework linking molecular mechanisms to ecosystem-level changes.

Main Results:

• Viruses evolve and adapt on timescales overlapping with host ecology, influencing disease dynamics.
• Host community structure, biodiversity loss, and human disturbance are significant factors in bee virus ecology.
• Molecular mechanisms act as key bottom-up drivers influencing higher ecological scales.

Conclusions:

• A molecule-to-ecology framework provides a robust approach to understanding bee virus emergence.
• The bee-virus system offers unique advantages for experimental manipulation and testing of ecological and evolutionary theories.
• Further research integrating molecular, ecological, and evolutionary scales is needed to predict and manage infectious diseases in bees and other species.