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ABSTRACT GIACOMINI, JONATHAN JOSEPH. Tri-Trophic Interactions Between Plants, Their Mutualist Pollinators and Natural Enemies Of

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ABSTRACT GIACOMINI, JONATHAN JOSEPH. Tri-Trophic Interactions Between Plants, Their Mutualist Pollinators and Natural Enemies Of ABSTRACT GIACOMINI, JONATHAN JOSEPH. Tri-Trophic Interactions Between Plants, Their Mutualist Pollinators and Natural Enemies of Pollinators: The Ecological Effects of Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) Pollen on Bees and Their Pathogens. (Under the direction of Dr. Rebecca E. Irwin). Communities are comprised of many species that interact directly in a pairwise fashion, as well as indirectly in which one species mediates the strength and direction of interactions between two other species. Indirect species interactions can have important effects on how antagonistic and mutualistic interactions shape the evolution of phenotypic traits, population and community dynamics. Many plants provide key resources for both herbivores and pollinators, and thus play a major role in shaping multi-trophic interactions for both antagonists and mutualists. Pollinators, such as bees, are critically important for the preservation of plant biodiversity, provide billions of dollars in crop pollination services annually, and are essential for the production of hundreds of crops. Although a variety of factors are involved, pathogens have been strongly implicated in the decline of many bee species. Thus, one of the most pressing concerns in the management of bee pathogens is the identification of factors that could reduce pathogens and diseases in natural and managed landscapes. Recent work demonstrates that floral traits (namely nectar) can mediate interactions between pollinators and their natural enemies, yet the role of pollen in such a context is poorly understood. Bees rely on pollen as the primary source of nutrition for growth and development; yet, pollen can contain high concentrations of secondary compounds, and varies tremendously in macronutrient and morphological properties. While links between bee nutrition and pathogen resistance are already established, the role of particular pollen species in mediating bee-pathogen dynamics is largely unknown. My dissertation addresses the ecological costs and benefits of pollen species identity for pollinators and interactions with their natural enemies. I used a series of controlled laboratory experiments and field studies focused primarily on the bumble bee Bombus impatiens, its protozoan pathogen Crithidia bombi, and sunflower pollen (Helianthus annuus). I began by demonstrating that sunflower pollen dramatically and consistently reduced C. bombi infection in individual bumble bees. Additionally, in a field survey, bumble bees from farms with a greater area of sunflower plantings had lower infection rates. I then demonstrated that a 1:1 mixture of sunflower and wildflower pollen reduced C. bombi infection prevalence and intensity at the bumble bee colony level, relative to a control wildflower pollen diet, with no significant nutritional tradeoffs for colony worker production and most aspects of colony reproduction. Planting sunflower in agroecosystems and native habitat may thus provide a simple solution to reduce disease and improve the health of economically and ecologically important pollinators. Given consistent effects of sunflower pollen in reducing bee pathogens, I then focused on controlled laboratory experiments to identify the mechanism(s) underlying the medicinal effect of sunflower pollen in bumble bees. I first demonstrated that ingestion of sunflower pollen stimulates rapid excretion in bumble bees, which could reduce C. bombi infection directly by flushing infectious cells from the host digestive tract, or may be a pleiotropic consequence of other changes in host bee physiology. Finally, I use a whole-transcriptomic approach to demonstrate that consumption of sunflower pollen stimulates an immune response in infected bumble bees dissimilar to that of wildflower-fed bees, as well as a strong detoxification response, and a response to physical damage to gut epithelial cells. Taken together, my dissertation provides a new perspective on the role of pollen in influencing pollinator enemies through changes in pollinator traits via trait-mediated indirect interactions. I propose that optimizing bee health management requires consideration of key plant species that play disproportionate roles in protecting pollinators against stressors such as pathogens. © Copyright 2021 by Jonathan Joseph Giacomini All Rights Reserved Tri-Trophic Interactions Between Plants, Their Mutualist Pollinators and Natural Enemies of Pollinators: The Ecological Effects of Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) Pollen on Bees and Their Pathogens. by Jonathan Joseph Giacomini A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Biology Raleigh, North Carolina 2021 APPROVED BY: _______________________________ _______________________________ Rebecca E. Irwin David R. Tarpy Committee Chair _______________________________ _______________________________ Benjamin J. Reading Danesha S. Carley DEDICATION To my dear sweet son Everest Skeldal Giacomini, who in an instant taught me the meaning of life without uttering a single word. You are my everything. And to my beautiful and wise mother Robin Anne Giacomini. Your strength and wisdom have been a guiding light that I appreciate more than you will ever know. ii BIOGRAPHY It is difficult to describe the feelings I experience when observing some plant or animal, but it is certainly ethereal or supernatural in some sense. Whatever it is, it brings me great joy. I imagine it is the same feeling felt by many brave and magnificent ecologists that came before me and will undoubtedly come after me. I graduated from North Providence High School in 2004, after which I had no clue what I wanted to do for a career. Raised by a single mother and having lost my father when I was a child, it was difficult to both find my place in the world and make ends meet at the same time. My first attempts at community college were futile. Courses were boring, disengaged, or lacking in passion. So, I dropped out of college and instead worked long hard days under the beating sun as a landscaper, and nights as a package handler for a major shipping company. Needless to say, I was tremendously bored and far out of touch with my connection to nature. Brief adventures on the weekends or short vacations simply could not satisfy me. In 2011, a new opportunity to be a part-time courier changed everything. This new job afforded me the opportunity to work part- time, maintain expensive health-insurance, pay rent and tuition and attend college full-time. The direct and indirect costs of education in the U.S.A. are astronomical. Every day I woke up at 4 am, worked hard delivering priority letters during the day and then attended Bunker Hill Community College in Boston in the afternoons and evenings. Looking back, I realize how crazy I must have been to take on such a monumental task, but the passion I had for science and biology gave me the fuel I needed; daily 20-minute naps helped. I graduated from BHCC as valedictorian and then transferred to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where for the first time in my life I felt fully immersed in science and biology. There, I met Lynn Adler, who has since become an invaluable mentor, colleague and friend. I worked as a research technician for iii Lynn for two summers, where I assisted in experiments that explored the ecology and evolution of floral rewards and pollinator health, and eventually ran an experiment of my own. Handling bees on a daily basis, I fell in love with pollinator ecology. In 2015, I graduated UMass with a B.S. in biology. Lynn then introduced me to Becky Irwin, who took me on as a research technician where I continued to assist in experimental pollinator ecology at NCSU before officially joining the lab as a PhD student in 2016. That same year I was fortunately awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Since then, Becky and Lynn have been extraordinary mentors that I simply cannot thank enough for the amazing opportunities they have given me. I have had the benefit of experiencing what it means to work hard doing both things one does not enjoy and things that one does enjoy. As a result, I am extremely grateful to spend my career experiencing that sense of joy I get when I explore the ecology of some plant or animal. For now, the rest of my scientific career remains to be written, but I am certain I will continue exploring the many mysteries of the world as a professional scientist and hope to continue this great global effort conserving the tremendously important pollinators that play an integral role in many ecosystems. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank first and foremost my beautiful, amazing, smart, brave, courageous and talented mother for not only bringing me into this world but showing me what it means to be a good human being. I credit my natural ability to think scientifically to her. She has always been inquisitive, skeptical, logical, thoughtful and evidence-based in her decisions. Without knowing, she taught me the scientific method long before any textbook. I hope to make her proud. I thank my amazing mentors, Becky Irwin and Lynn Adler. To Lynn: Thank you for giving me my first real opportunity to be a scientist. Everything from long, exhaustive days in the field, to countless hours in handling bees in the ancient laboratories of Fernald Hall, the entire experience was magical for me and I am eternally grateful. To Becky: Thank you for taking me under your wing. You are a shining example of what any ecologist should hope to be. I have greatly enjoyed our ability to discuss science, imagine creative solutions to awkward problems, and design interesting experiments. And thank you especially for being emotionally supportive through some of the most challenging years of my life. My family and I are eternally grateful for your generosity and support. Thank you to the Irwinites and their companions: Jacob Heiling, Gina Calabrese, Sean Griffin, Gabby Pardee, Andrew Sanders, Rhianna Jones, Jessica Kettenbach, Michael Stemkovski and Jaquelyn Fitzgerald, Alison Fowler, Laura Hamon, Simon Padilla, Victoria Amaral.
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