Project description
The role of bee microbiota for detox in the face of imposed substance use
Three out of four crops around the world that produce fruits or seeds for human food depend, at least in part, on pollinators, including over 20 000 species of bees. Bees are nature’s couriers, picking up and delivering pollen, and maintaining vibrant biodiversity and ecosystems for plants, humans and bees themselves. Aside from decreasing food security, declining bee populations will also lead to increasingly unbalanced diets and malnutrition. Neonicotinoids (new nicotine-like insecticides) are one of the reasons for this decline. The EU-funded HarmHoney project is investigating bee health and the role of bee gut microbiota via modulation of the bioactivity of flavonoids (plant secondary metabolites ingested by bees) both normally and after exposure to neonicotinoids. The project brings together hot topics, including the role of gut microbiota in health, declining bee populations and food security in the face of global climate change.
Objective
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.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology entomology apidology
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1015 LAUSANNE
Switzerland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.