Live via Zoom

Honey bees as models to investigate how environmental stressors shape gut microbial communities

Understanding the mechanisms by which gut symbionts shape host physiology and the consequences of disruptions in such relationships is a relevant and growing area in the field of host microbe interactions. Recently, several lines of evidence have linked healthy gut microbial communities to host metabolism, pathogen resistance, and immune development. My research uses the gut microbiota of the honeybee, Apis mellifera, as an experimental system to understand the routes through which gut communities impact host biology and how environmental stressors compromise these interactions. In this presentation, I discuss the roles of the gut microbiota on honeybee health and how agrochemicals and plant toxins can impact beneficial members of the microbiota and the consequences for host health, such as changes in pathogen susceptibility and immune system regulation.

Host: Dr. Joel Kostka