Health regulation by the gut microbiota in the honey bee
When feeding on plants, animals ingest non-nutritive compounds produced by the plant which are converted by the metabolic activity of bacteria present in their gut and act on their physiology. Some of these phytochemicals, the flavonoids, provide health benefits in many species, but little is known about the modulation of their bioactivity by the gut microbiota.
Here, we want to understand the importance of the gut microbiota in modulating flavonoids' effects on honey bee health under physiological conditions and after exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides. Honey bees are vital pollinators to our ecosystem and the current decline in their population is alarming. The neonicotinoids have been identified as one of the responsible factors. Using 16S rRNA sequencing and metabolomics approaches, we aim at identifying the combinations of flavonoids and gut symbionts promoting bee health and resistance to neonicotinoids. Bee health will be assessed both under laboratory and field conditions by measuring the survival rates, the activity of the detoxification pathway and the maturation speed because stressed bees have been shown to start foraging younger than healthy bees.
The outcome of this project will be of interest for a large range of scientific communities from microbiologists to ecologists, both in fundamental and applied sciences. Promoting health by acting on diet and gut bacteria is a hot topic, as is the decline in bee populations. Dissemination of the results to the general public will be facilitated by the existing enthusiasm for these questions.
The applicant will share her knowledge of the honey bee physiology and behavior with the host laboratory and will gain from its expertise in gut microbiota function. She will acquire the skills necessary to apply for junior researcher positions at the end of the fellowship and to focus her career on the importance of the gut microbiota  and diet for honey bee health, both at the physiological and behavioural level.