@article{mcafee_chapman_bao_tarpy_foster_2024, title={Investigating trade-offs between ovary activation and immune protein expression in bumble bee (<i>Bombus impatiens</i>) workers and queens}, volume={291}, ISSN={["1471-2954"]}, DOI={10.1098/rspb.2023.2463}, abstractNote={
            Evidence for a trade-off between reproduction and immunity has manifested in many animal species, including social insects. However, investigations in social insect queens present a conundrum: new gynes of many social hymenopterans, such as bumble bees and ants, must first mate, then transition from being solitary to social as they establish their nests, thus experiencing confounding shifts in environmental conditions. Worker bumble bees offer an opportunity to investigate patterns of immune protein expression associated with ovary activation while minimizing extraneous environmental factors and genetic differences. Here, we use proteomics to interrogate the patterns of immune protein expression of female bumble bees (
            Bombus impatiens
            ) by (i) sampling queens at different stages of their life cycle, then (ii) by sampling workers with different degrees of ovary activation. Patterns of immune protein expression in the haemolymph of queens are consistent with a reproduction–immunity trade-off, but equivalent samples from workers are not. This brings into question whether queen bumble bees really experience a reproduction–immunity trade-off, or if patterns of immune protein expression may actually be due to the selective pressure of the different environmental conditions they are exposed to during their life cycle.
          }, number={2015}, journal={PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES}, author={Mcafee, Alison and Chapman, Abigail and Bao, Grace and Tarpy, David R. and Foster, Leonard J.}, year={2024}, month={Jan} }
 @article{caesar_rice_mcafee_underwood_ganote_tarpy_foster_newton_klassen_2024, title={Metagenomic analysis of the honey bee queen microbiome reveals low bacterial diversity and Caudoviricetes phages}, volume={1}, ISSN={["2379-5077"]}, DOI={10.1128/msystems.01182-23}, abstractNote={
            The queen caste plays a central role in colony success in eusocial insects, as queens lay eggs and regulate colony behavior and development. Queen failure can cause colonies to collapse, which is one of the major concerns of beekeepers. Thus, understanding the biology behind the queen’s health is a pressing issue. Previous studies have shown that the bee microbiome plays an important role in worker bee health, but little is known about the queen microbiome and its function
            in vivo
            . Here, we characterized the queen microbiome, identifying for the first time the present species and their putative functions. We show that the queen microbiome has predicted nutritional and protective roles in queen association and comprises only four consistently present bacterial species. Additionally, we bring to attention the spread of phages in the queen microbiome, which increased in abundance in failing queens and may impact the fate of the colony.
          }, journal={MSYSTEMS}, author={Caesar, Lilian and Rice, Danny W. and Mcafee, Alison and Underwood, Robyn and Ganote, Carrie and Tarpy, David R. and Foster, Leonard J. and Newton, Irene L. G. and Klassen, Jonathan L.}, year={2024}, month={Jan} }
 @article{mcafee_metz_milone_foster_tarpy_2022, title={Drone honey bees are disproportionately sensitive to abiotic stressors despite expressing high levels of stress response proteins}, volume={5}, ISSN={["2399-3642"]}, DOI={10.1038/s42003-022-03092-7}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={1}, journal={COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY}, author={McAfee, Alison and Metz, Bradley N. and Milone, Joseph P. and Foster, Leonard J. and Tarpy, David R.}, year={2022}, month={Feb} }
 @article{mcafee_stillman_marshall_metz_2022, title={Editorial: Insect Fertility in a Changing Environment}, volume={10}, ISSN={["2296-701X"]}, DOI={10.3389/fevo.2022.847997}, abstractNote={Michael Smith Laboratories, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States, Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, United States, Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland, Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada}, journal={FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION}, author={McAfee, Alison and Stillman, Jonathon H. and Marshall, Katie E. and Metz, Bradley N.}, year={2022}, month={Feb} }
 @article{chapman_amiri_han_mcdermott_rueppell_tarpy_foster_mcafee_2022, title={Fertility costs of cryptic viral infections in a model social insect}, volume={12}, ISSN={["2045-2322"]}, DOI={10.1038/s41598-022-20330-4}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={1}, journal={SCIENTIFIC REPORTS}, author={Chapman, Abigail and Amiri, Esmaeil and Han, Bin and McDermott, Erin and Rueppell, Olav and Tarpy, David R. and Foster, Leonard J. and McAfee, Alison}, year={2022}, month={Sep} }
 @article{mcafee_milone_metz_mcdermott_foster_tarpy_2021, title={Honey bee queen health is unaffected by contact exposure to pesticides commonly found in beeswax}, volume={11}, ISSN={["2045-2322"]}, DOI={10.1038/s41598-021-94554-1}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={1}, journal={SCIENTIFIC REPORTS}, author={McAfee, Alison and Milone, Joseph P. and Metz, Bradley and McDermott, Erin and Foster, Leonard J. and Tarpy, David R.}, year={2021}, month={Jul} }
 @article{mcafee_tarpy_foster_2021, title={Queen honey bees exhibit variable resilience to temperature stress}, volume={16}, ISSN={["1932-6203"]}, DOI={10.1371/journal.pone.0255381}, abstractNote={Extreme temperature exposure can reduce stored sperm viability within queen honey bees; however, little is known about how thermal stress may directly impact queen performance or other maternal quality metrics. Here, in a blind field trial, we recorded laying pattern, queen mass, and average callow worker mass before and after exposing queens to a cold temperature (4°C, 2 h), hot temperature (42°C, 2 h), and hive temperature (33°C, control). We measured sperm viability at experiment termination, and investigated potential vertical effects of maternal temperature stress on embryos using proteomics. We found that cold stress, but not heat stress, reduced stored sperm viability; however, we found no significant effect of temperature stress on any other recorded metrics (queen mass, average callow worker mass, laying patterns, the egg proteome, and queen spermathecal fluid proteome). Previously determined candidate heat and cold stress biomarkers were not differentially expressed in stressed queens, indicating that these markers only have short-term post-stress diagnostic utility. Combined with variable sperm viability responses to temperature stress reported in different studies, these data also suggest that there is substantial variation in temperature tolerance, with respect to impacts on fertility, amongst queens. Future research should aim to quantify the variation and heritability of temperature tolerance, particularly heat, in different populations of queens in an effort to promote queen resilience.}, number={8}, journal={PLOS ONE}, author={McAfee, Alison and Tarpy, David R. and Foster, Leonard J.}, year={2021} }
 @article{mcafee_chapman_pettis_foster_tarpy_2021, title={Trade-offs between sperm viability and immune protein expression in honey bee queens (Apis mellifera)}, volume={4}, ISSN={["2399-3642"]}, DOI={10.1038/s42003-020-01586-w}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={1}, journal={COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY}, author={McAfee, Alison and Chapman, Abigail and Pettis, Jeffery S. and Foster, Leonard J. and Tarpy, David R.}, year={2021}, month={Jan} }
 @article{mcafee_milone_chapman_foster_pettis_tarpy_2020, title={Candidate stress biomarkers for queen failure diagnostics}, volume={21}, ISSN={["1471-2164"]}, DOI={10.1186/s12864-020-06992-2}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={1}, journal={BMC GENOMICS}, author={McAfee, Alison and Milone, Joseph and Chapman, Abigail and Foster, Leonard J. and Pettis, Jeffery S. and Tarpy, David R.}, year={2020}, month={Aug} }
 @article{milone_rinkevich_mcafee_foster_tarpy_2020, title={Differences in larval pesticide tolerance and esterase activity across honey bee (Apis mellifera) stocks}, volume={206}, ISSN={["1090-2414"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.111213}, abstractNote={Honey bee populations in North America are an amalgamation of diverse progenitor ecotypes experiencing varying levels of artificial selection. Genetic differences between populations can result in variable susceptibility towards environmental stressors, and here we compared pesticide tolerances across breeding stocks using a mixture of seven pesticides frequently found in colonies providing pollination services. We administered the pesticide mixture chronically to in vitro reared larvae at four concentrations of increasing Hazard Quotient (HQ, or cumulative toxicity) and measured mortality during larval development. We found that different stocks had significantly different tolerances to our pesticide mixture as indicated by their median lethal toxicity (HQ50). The intensively selected Pol-Line stock exhibited the greatest pesticide sensitivity while Old World (progenitor) and putatively feral stocks were the most pesticide-tolerant. Furthermore, we found that activity of the detoxification enzyme esterase was positively correlated with pesticide tolerance when measured using two different substrate standards, and confirmed that larvae from the Pol-Line stock had generally lower esterase activity. Consistent with an increased pesticide tolerance, the Old World and putatively feral stocks had higher esterase activities. However, esterases and other detoxification enzymes (CYP450s and GSTs) were found in similar abundances across stocks, suggesting that the differences in enzyme activity we observed might arise from stock-specific single nucleotide polymorphisms or post-translational modifications causing qualitative variation in enzyme activity. These results suggest that selective breeding may inadvertently increase honey bees’ sensitivity to pesticides, whereas unselected, putatively feral and Old World stocks have larvae that are more tolerant.}, journal={ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY}, author={Milone, Joseph P. and Rinkevich, Frank D. and McAfee, Alison and Foster, Leonard J. and Tarpy, David R.}, year={2020}, month={Dec} }
 @misc{mondet_beaurepaire_mcafee_locke_alaux_blanchard_danka_le conte_2020, title={Honey bee survival mechanisms against the parasite Varroa destructor: a systematic review of phenotypic and genomic research efforts}, volume={50}, ISSN={["1879-0135"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.ijpara.2020.03.005}, abstractNote={The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor is the most significant pathological threat to the western honey bee, Apis mellifera, leading to the death of most colonies if left untreated. An alternative approach to chemical treatments is to selectively enhance heritable honey bee traits of resistance or tolerance to the mite through breeding programs, or select for naturally surviving untreated colonies. We conducted a literature review of all studies documenting traits of A. mellifera populations either selectively bred or naturally selected for resistance and tolerance to mite parasitism. This allowed us to conduct an analysis of the diversity, distribution and importance of the traits in different honey bee populations that can survive V. destructor globally. In a second analysis, we investigated the genetic bases of these different phenotypes by comparing 'omics studies (genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics) of A. mellifera resistance and tolerance to the parasite. Altogether, this review provides a detailed overview of the current state of the research projects and breeding efforts against the most devastating parasite of A. mellifera. By highlighting the most promising traits of Varroa-surviving bees and our current knowledge on their genetic bases, this work will help direct future research efforts and selection programs to control this pest. Additionally, by comparing the diverse populations of honey bees that exhibit those traits, this review highlights the consequences of anthropogenic and natural selection in the interactions between hosts and parasites.}, number={6-7}, journal={INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY}, author={Mondet, Fanny and Beaurepaire, Alexis and McAfee, Alison and Locke, Barbara and Alaux, Cedric and Blanchard, Solene and Danka, Bob and Le Conte, Yves}, year={2020}, month={Jun}, pages={433–447} }
 @misc{traynor_mondet_miranda_techer_kowallik_oddie_chantawannakul_mcafee_2020, title={Varroa destructor: A Complex Parasite, Crippling Honey Bees Worldwide}, volume={36}, ISSN={["1471-5007"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.pt.2020.04.004}, abstractNote={The parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, has shaken the beekeeping and pollination industries since its spread from its native host, the Asian honey bee (Apis cerana), to the naïve European honey bee (Apis mellifera) used commercially for pollination and honey production around the globe. Varroa is the greatest threat to honey bee health. Worrying observations include increasing acaricide resistance in the varroa population and sinking economic treatment thresholds, suggesting that the mites or their vectored viruses are becoming more virulent. Highly infested weak colonies facilitate mite dispersal and disease transmission to stronger and healthier colonies. Here, we review recent developments in the biology, pathology, and management of varroa, and integrate older knowledge that is less well known.}, number={7}, journal={TRENDS IN PARASITOLOGY}, author={Traynor, Kirsten S. and Mondet, Fanny and Miranda, Joachim R. and Techer, Maeva and Kowallik, Vienna and Oddie, Melissa A. Y. and Chantawannakul, Panuwan and McAfee, Alison}, year={2020}, month={Jul}, pages={592–606} }
 @article{mcafee_chapman_higo_underwood_milone_foster_guarna_tarpy_pettis_2020, title={Vulnerability of honey bee queens to heat-induced loss of fertility}, volume={3}, ISSN={["2398-9629"]}, DOI={10.1038/s41893-020-0493-x}, abstractNote={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. Heat waves can pose a threat to biodiversity as heat stress kills sperm cells across the animal kingdom. Here, honey bee queens are found to be vulnerable to temperature changes and the specific stress-response proteins activated in the spermatheca are discussed as potential indicators of heat stress.}, number={5}, journal={NATURE SUSTAINABILITY}, author={McAfee, Alison and Chapman, Abigail and Higo, Heather and Underwood, Robyn and Milone, Joseph and Foster, Leonard J. and Guarna, M. Marta and Tarpy, David R. and Pettis, Jeffery S.}, year={2020}, month={May}, pages={367–376} }
 @article{mcafee_pettis_tarpy_foster_2019, title={Feminizer and doublesex knock-outs cause honey bees to switch sexes}, volume={17}, ISSN={["1545-7885"]}, DOI={10.1371/journal.pbio.3000256}, abstractNote={Honey bees are experts at refuting societal norms. Their matriarchal hives are headed by queens, backed by an all-female workforce, and males die soon after copulation. But the biochemical basis of how these distinct castes and sexes (queens, workers, and drones) arise is poorly understood, partly due to a lack of efficient tools for genetic manipulation. Now, Roth and colleagues have used clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) to knock out two key genes (feminizer and doublesex) that guide sexual development. Their technique yielded remarkably low rates of genetic mosaicism and offers a promising tool for engineering and phenotyping bees for diverse applications.}, number={5}, journal={PLOS BIOLOGY}, author={McAfee, Alison and Pettis, Jeffery S. and Tarpy, David R. and Foster, Leonard J.}, year={2019}, month={May} }