Progress 01/01/24 to 12/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience: The target audiences for this research project are both (a) researchers interested in understanding the effects of environmental stressors in agricultural systems on bumble bees and other pollinators, and (b) practitioners (including growers, conservation organizations, regulatory agencies, and others) interested in mitigating these impacts and designing interventions to support the health of pollinators and the delivery of ecosystem services they provide to crop pollination in the US. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided the following opportunities for training and professional development: 1. Direct mentorship and research experience. This project has provided the opportunity for direct mentorship of one postdoctoral fellow, two graduate students, and four undergraduate students. These lab members gain direct research experience and new skills, including in particular in (a) experimental design and (b) computer vision and automated with applications in animal behavior and pollinator health. One postdoctoral fellow trained as part of this grant has gone on to secure a tenure-track faculty position at a research-focused institution (Illinois Institute of Technology). 2. Conference presentations. This project has allowed project participants, including PD Crall and grad students, to attend conference (including the Entomological Society of America, the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, and the International Congress of Entomology) to present research findings, develop communication skills, and provide opportunities for professional networking. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Results and findings of this study have so far been disseminated to communities of interest through publications (as described in 'Products'), as well as through several presentations and talks by PD Crall and lab members (as described in 'Other Products'). These include both public outreach talks, as well as seminars by PD Crall in Departments and Universities across the country describing research findings. Finally, PD Crall has participated during this project period in two working groups (one national, and one international) that have provided the opportunities for disseminating research findings to professional colleagues, as well as explicitly developing ideas and perspectives on the applications of these techniques to real-world management challenges, such as pesticide risk assessment. For example, PD Crall presented findings from this project at the Wisconsin Neonic Forum to help provide scientific perspective on the evidence base that can inform effective use and regulation of pesticides for pollinator health. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? In the upcoming reporting period, we anticipate completing activities on all Aims of this project. For Aim 1, we anticipate final stages of publication for an accepted manuscript. For Aim 2, we anticipate submitting two manuscript manuscripts based on data already collected for two studies focusing on interactive effects of pesticide, nutrition, and temperature. For Aim 3, we anticipate completing data collection and analysis and submitting a manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Finally, we anticipate further presentations and outreach events to ensure impact of these studies on the project's target audience.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We have made significant progress on each of these aims during this project period, particularly in establishing novel protocols and conducting key studies that are critical for each aim. For aim 1 (~95% complete) we have developed, tested, and implemented the high-throughput behavioral tracking system at the core of this aim (aka the 'BumbleBox'). This includes both developing an open-source hardware platform for recording behavioral trials across a local network of cameras (using Raspberry Pis and other open-source hardware), as well as the software for analyzing videos produced by this system and extracting relevant biological endpoints (e.g., on bumble bee worker behavior). An article describing this systemhas been accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal (Ecological Solutions and Evidence), and is currently available as a preprint on bioRxiv (https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.11.07.622358v1.abstract). In addition, software, design files, and instructions are available on the Crall Lab's github page (https://github.com/Crall-Lab/BumbleBox). For Aim 2 (~75% complete), we have developed, tested, and implemented the core protocols for this aim (i.e., automated detection and identification of individual, foraging bumble bees, Bombus impatiens, in constrained hoop house environments). We also completed data collection for two studies for this aim: (1) one laboratory-based study systematically exploring the effects of combined insecticide, nutrition, and temperature stress on task allocation and colony performance in bumblebees, and (2) a second study in semi-field conditions assessing the impacts of pesticide exposure on colony division of labor and pollination services. Data for both of these studies are currently being analyzed and prepared for publication in peer-reviewed journals (the latter for a special issue of Integrative and Comparative Biology to be published in 2025). For Aim 3 (~60% complete), we have developed, tested, and implemented an adapted version of our within-colony tracking system for use in outdoor environments. We conducted a study in summer 2024 using these outdoor tracking systems to study the effects of landscape context and pesticide exposure on colony activity and pollination under variable weather conditions. Data from this study are currently being analyzed and additional data will be collected for this study in the upcoming field season (summer 2025).
Publications
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Easton-Calabria, August, and James D. Crall. "The BumbleBox: An open-source platform for quantifying behavior in bumblebee colonies." bioRxiv (2024): 2024-11.
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Progress 01/01/23 to 12/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience: The target audiences for this research project are both (a) researchers interested in understanding the effects of environmental stressors in agricultural systems on bumble bees and other pollinators, and (b) practitioners (including growers, conservation organizations, regulatory agencies, and others) interested in mitigating these impacts and designing interventions to support the health of pollinators and the ecosystem services they provide to crop pollination in the US. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? 1. Direct mentorship and research experience. This project has provided the opportunity for direct mentorship of one postdoctoral fellow, three graduate students, and fourundergraduate students. In addition to direct mentorship, the project has allowed these lab members to gain direct research experience and new skills, including in particular in (a) experimental design and (b) computer vision and automated with applications in animal behavior and pollinator health, (c) data analysis, writing, and presentation. 2. Conference presentations. This project has allowed for project participants, including PD Crall and grad students, to attend conference (including the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, Ecological Society of America, and the international bumblebee health conference, BOMBUSS 3.0) to present research findings, develop communication skills, and provide opportunities for professional networking. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Results and findings of this study have so far been disseminated to communities of interest through publications (as described in 'Products'), as well as through several presentations and talks by PD Crall and lab members (as described in 'Other Products'). These include both public outreach talks both within Wisconsin, as well as seminars by PD Crall in departments and Universities across the country describing research findings. Finally, PD Crall has participated during this project period in an international working group that hasprovided the opportunities for disseminating research findings to professional colleagues, as well as explicitly developing ideas and perspectives on the applications of these techniques to real-world management challenges, such as pesticide risk assessment. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? In the upcoming reporting period, we anticipate making substantial progress on each of the projects aims. For Aim 1, we will complete data analysis and prepare manuscripts for submission to peer-reviewed journals(2 papers anticipated). For Aim 2, we will analyze data from experiments on the effects of insecticide exposure and nutrition on foraging activity and pollination services in controlled environments, prepare these results for publication, and conduct follow up experiments. For Aim 3, we plan to finalize designs for the field-deployable tracking experiments, and conduct the first (of two) full field season for experiments exploring the effects of landscape context on colony B. impatiens behavior and growth in the field.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We have made significant progress on each of these aims during this project period, particularly in establishing novel protocols that are critical for each aim. For aim 1 (~75% complete) we have developed and tested the integratedhardware-software system (BumbleBox) for automated behavioral quantification within bumblebee colonies,withdesign files and software available athttps://github.com/Crall-Lab/Bumblebox, which has also resulted in a completed Masters' thesis.In addition to methodological development, we have conducted thefirst round of experiments investigating the synergistic effects of insecticides, temperature, and nutrition, with data currently being analyzed and prepared for publication. For Aim 2 (~50% complete), we have developed and tested the core protocols for this aim (i.e., automated detection and identification of individual, foraging bumble bees, Bombus impatiens, in constrained hoop house environments) and used this system to complete the first experiment on the effects of pesticide exposure on floral visitation pattern in semi-field (hoop house) conditions. Data from these experiments are currently being analyzed and prepared for submission to a peer-reviewed journal. For Aim 3 (~10% complete), we have developed and tested an adapted version of our within-colony tracking system for use in outdoor field conditions, and run successful tests of this system and completed an initial round of design division an anticipated of field experiments being conducted in the 2024 and 2025 field season.
Publications
- Type:
Book Chapters
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Crall, James D., and Nigel E. Raine. "How do neonicotinoids affect social bees? Linking proximate mechanisms to ecological impacts." (2023).
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Easton-Calabria, August C., et al. "Colony size buffers interactions between neonicotinoid exposure and cold stress in bumblebees." Proceedings of the Royal Society B 290.2003 (2023): 20230555.
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Progress 01/01/22 to 12/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for this research project are both (a) researchers interested in understanding the effects of environmental stressors in agricultural systems on bumble bees and other pollinators, and (b) practitioners (including growers, conservation organizations, regulatory agencies, and others) interested in mitigating these impacts and designing interventions to support the health of pollinators and the ecosystem services they provide to crop pollination in the US. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided the following opportunities for training and professional development: 1. Direct mentorship and research experience. This project has provided the opportunity for direct mentorship of one postdoctoral fellow, two graduate students, and three undergraduate students.In addition to direct mentorship, the project has allowed these lab members to gain direct research experience and new skills, including in particular in (a) experimental design and (b) computer vision and automated with applications in animal behavior and pollinator health. 2. Conference presentations. This project has allowed for project participants, including PD Crall and grad students, to attend conference (including the Entomological Society of America) to present research findings, develop communication skills, and provide opportunities for professional networking. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results and findings of this study have so far been disseminated to communities of interest through publications (as described in 'Products'), as well as through several presentations and talks by PD Crall and lab members (as described in 'Other Products'). These include both public outreach talks, as well as seminars by PD Crall in Departments and Universities across the country describing research findings. Finally, PD Crall has participated during this project period in two working groups (one national, and one international) that have provided the opportunities for disseminating research findings to professional colleagues, as well as explicitly developing ideas and perspectives on the applications of these techniques to real-world management challenges, such as pesticide risk assessment. Publications and perspectives highlightingthe results of these discussions will be anticipated during the upcoming reporting period. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?As described above, in the upcoming reporting period we anticipate making substantial progress on each of the projects aims. For Aim 1, we anticipate completing all experiments for this aim, and preparing results for publication (2 papers anticipated, one focusing on methodological components, and a second desciribing findings of experiments investigating the synergistics effects of nutrition, temperature, and insecticide stress). For Aim 2, we anticipate completing the first round of full experiments on the effects of insecticide exposure and nutrition on foraging activity and pollination services in controlled environments. For Aim 3, we plan to complete a pilot study to test methods and experimental approaches for investigating the effects of local landscape context on behavior and colony growth in bumble bees.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We have made significant progress on each of these aims during this project period, particularly in establishing novel protocols that are critical for each aim. For aim 1 (~60% complete) we have developed and tested the high-throughput behavioral tracking system at the core of this aim. This includes both developing an open-source hardware platform for recording behavioral trials across a local network of cameras (using Raspberry Pis and other open-source hardware), as well as the software for analyzing videos produced by this system and extracting relevant biological data (e.g., on bumble bee worker behavior). This integrated hardware-software system is currently under preparation for submission to a peer-reviewed journal, which will be accompanied by design files and instructions to be hosted on the Crall Lab's github page (https://github.com/Crall-Lab). In addition to technique development, we have performed the first round of experiments investigating the synergistic effects of insecticides, temperature, and nutrition. The next round of trails for these experiments are ongoing, and we anticipate completing these experiments and preparing results for publication in 2023. For Aim 2 (~25% complete), we have developed and tested the core protocols for this aim (i.e., automated detection and identification of individual, foraging bumble bees, Bombus impatiens, in constrained hoop house environments. We have also completed successful initial pilot experiments of this system to monitor individual visitation at both wildflowers and focal crops. We will conduct coreexperiments for this aim in summer 2023. For Aim 3 (~5% complete), we have developed and tested an adapted version of our within-colony tracking system for use in outdoor environments, and run successful tests of this system. Pilot experiments will be run using this system in summer 2023, and full experiments conducted beginning in 2024.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Smith, M.AY., Easton-Calabria, A., Zhang, T. et al. Long-term tracking and quantification of individual behavior in bumble bee colonies. Artif Life Robotics 27, 401406 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10015-022-00762-x
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