Virus Prevalence and Genetic Diversity Across a Wild Bumblebee Community

Viruses are key population regulators, but we have limited knowledge of the diversity and ecology viruses. This is even case in wild host populations that provide ecosystem services, where small fitness effects may major ecological impacts aggregate. One such group hosts bumblebees, which a role pollination food crops suffered declines range contractions recent decades. In this study, investigate four recently discovered bumblebee viruses (Mayfield virus 1, Mayfield 2, River Liunaeg virus, Loch Morlich virus), two previously known infect both bumblebees managed honeybees (Acute bee paralysis Slow virus) from isolates Scotland. We environmental factors determine viral presence absence. show were more genetically diverse than shared with honeybees. Coinfection potentially important shaping prevalence: found strong positive association between after controlling for species, location other relevant variables. tested relationship variables (temperature, UV radiation, wind speed, prevalence), as had few sampling sites, thus low power site-level analyses, could not conclude anything regarding these also describe communities at our sites. study represents first step description predictors infection wild.