Vulnerability of honey bee queens to heat-induced loss of fertility

Alison McAfee, Abigail Chapman, Heather Higo, Robyn Underwood, Joseph Milone, Leonard J. Foster (), M. Marta Guarna (), David R. Tarpy () and Jeffery S. Pettis
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Alison McAfee: North Carolina State University
Abigail Chapman: University of British Columbia
Heather Higo: University of British Columbia
Robyn Underwood: Pennsylvania State University
Joseph Milone: North Carolina State University
Leonard J. Foster: University of British Columbia
M. Marta Guarna: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
David R. Tarpy: North Carolina State University
Jeffery S. Pettis: Pettis and Associates LLC

Nature Sustainability, 2020, vol. 3, issue 5, 367-376

Abstract: Abstract All species need to reproduce to maintain viable populations, but heat stress kills sperm cells across the animal kingdom and rising frequencies of heat waves are a threat to biodiversity. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are globally distributed microlivestock; therefore, they could serve as environmental biomonitors for fertility losses. Here, we found that queens have two potential routes of temperature-stress exposure: within colonies and during routine shipping. Our data suggest that temperatures of 15–38 °C are safe for queens at a tolerance threshold of 11.5% loss of sperm viability, which is the viability difference associated with queen failure in the field. Heat shock activates expression of specific stress-response proteins in the spermatheca, which could serve as molecular biomarkers (indicators) for heat stress. This protein fingerprint may eventually enable surveys for the prevalence of heat-induced loss of sperm viability in diverse landscapes as part of a biomonitoring programme.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41893-020-0493-x

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