Signals of adaptation to agricultural stress in the genomes of two European bumblebees

• DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.993416
• Publication Date: 2022-10-05T04:46:30Z
• Authors: Alex F. Hart; Jaro Verbeeck; Daniel Ariza; Diego Cejas; Guillaume Ghisbain; Hanna Honchar; Vladimir G. Radch...; Jakub Straka; Toshko Ljubomirov; Thomas Lecocq; Juliana Dániel-Fe...; Simone Flaminio; Laura Bortolotti; Reet Karise; Ivan Meeus; Guy Smagghe; Nicolas Vereecken; Peter Vandamme; Denis Michez; Kevin Maebe
• Keywords: Pollinator; 0301 basic medicine; Climate Research; population genomics; Impact of Pesticides on Honey Bee Health; Local adaptation; Population; Genomic Insights into Social Insects and Symbiosis; QH426-470; Sciences de l'ingénieur; 333; Agricultural and Biological Sciences; 03 medical and health sciences; Sociology; Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology; Animal and Dairy Science; Genetics; Pollination; Biology; Genetics (clinical); global change; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Demography; 2. Zero hunger; Ecology; Biology and Life Sciences; Life Sciences; Agriculture; RADseq; Biodiversity; 15. Life on land; Bombus; FOS: Sociology; Habitat; Insect Science; FOS: Biological sciences; Molecular Medicine; Pollen; Impact of Pollinator Decline on Ecosystems and Agriculture; Habitat fragmentation; Habitat Fragmentation; agricultural intensification; Zoology; Sciences exactes et naturelles; bee decline

Human-induced environmental impacts on wildlife are widespread, causing major biodiversity losses. One threat is agricultural intensification, typically characterised by large areas of monoculture, mechanical tillage, and the use agrochemicals. Intensification leads to fragmentation loss natural habitats, native vegetation, nesting breeding sites. Understanding adaptability insects these changing conditions critical predicting their survival. Bumblebees, key pollinators wild cultivated plants, used as model species assess insect adaptation anthropogenic stressors. We investigated effects pressures two common European bumblebees, Bombus pascuorum B. lapidarius. Restriction-site Associated DNA Sequencing was identify loci under selective pressure across agricultural-natural gradients over 97 locations in Europe. 191 unique 260 lapidarius were identified pressure, associated with Further investigation suggested several candidate proteins including neurodevelopment, muscle, detoxification proteins, but have yet be validated. These results provide insights into agriculture a stressor for signal conservation action light ongoing changes.