Multiple Key Hosts and Network Structure Shape Viral Prevalence Across Multispecies Communities of Bees

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Epidemiology
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) pose a significant threat to biodiversity.
• Identifying key host species in complex ecological communities is challenging.
• Understanding host-pathogen dynamics is vital for disease management and conservation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a quantitative framework for pinpointing key viral hosts in multispecies bee communities.
• To assess the role of key hosts and community metrics in virus transmission and persistence.
• To challenge existing assumptions about viral reservoirs in bee populations.

Main Methods:

• Combined field data, epidemiological modeling, simulations, and Bayesian inference.
• Utilized flower-visitor interaction data and molecular virus screening.
• Estimated species-specific basic reproduction numbers (R0).

Main Results:

• Honeybees are primary reservoirs for some viruses (e.g., deformed wing virus).
• Bumblebees (e.g., Bombus lapidarius) can drive the spread of other viruses (e.g., acute bee paralysis virus).
• Viral dynamics are primarily explained by exposure to key hosts, not community effects.

Conclusions:

• Identified non-honeybee key hosts, challenging current assumptions.
• Highlighted key drivers of transmission and pathogen persistence in complex host-pathogen networks.
• Emphasized the need to consider diverse host species in EID management strategies.