Progress 06/01/24 to 05/31/25
Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period, I mentored two undergraduate students. Through hands-on research training, regular meetings, and individualized guidance, I provided these students with valuable opportunities to engage in hypothesis-driven research, develop technical skills, and gain confidence in their scientific abilities. These efforts support the development of future scientists and contribute to building a strong foundation in research excellence. We also expanded our outreach efforts to engage broader public audiences. Most notably, our team participated in a science education event at Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, GA, where we taught children and families about the essential role of bees in pollination and ecosystem health. Using live observation hives and interactive demonstrations, we fostered curiosity and increased public awareness of pollinator biology. These community-focused activities promote agricultural awareness and help connect scientific research with everyday experience. Together, these efforts reflect a commitment to education, effective science communication, and public engagement in pollinator-related issues. Changes/Problems:We remain on track to complete the proposed aims of this project, although there have been a few important developments and adjustments. One unexpected challenge was that all Bombus impatiens colonies obtained during this reporting period were monandrous, limiting our ability to assess the effects of polyandry within this species. In response, we refined our experimental focus using B. impatiens to address key questions about pesticide exposure, including caste-specific sensitivity to sulfoxaflor, comparative toxicity between sulfoxaflor and thiamethoxam, and the consequences of chronic pesticide exposure on behavior and reproductive output. These efforts have generated a rich dataset and multiple manuscripts in progress. To directly address questions about genetic conflict and genetically correlated development among castes, we expanded our research to include the polyandrous social wasp Vespula maculifrons. While this represents a shift in study species, it aligns fully with our project's central goals and has already yielded a high-impact manuscript that is currently under review at a major journal. A major success this year was the successful implementation of artificial insemination in B. impatiens, a technically challenging procedure that we are now using to establish genetically variable colonies. This breakthrough represents a major step forward for the field, enabling controlled studies of genotype-by-environment interactions and polyandry in a model pollinator species. It sets the stage for novel, genetically explicit experiments in future project phases. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided multiple meaningful opportunities for professional growth. Over the past year, I continued to develop my leadership and mentoring skills through the direct supervision of two undergraduate researchers. I also expanded my expertise in behavioral ecology and toxicology by developing new pipelines for behavioral video analysis and managing complex pesticide exposure experiments. I spoke at two national conferences and was invited to speak at several institutional seminars, allowing me to present my work and build collaborative relationships. I contributed as a guest lecturer in Agnes Scott College's Behavioral Ecologycourse and the University of Georgia's Special Topics: Bee Physiology Course. I also participated in service roles, including serving as a judge for the ESA 2024 Ten-Minute Student Paper Competition in Chemical Ecology and Toxicology and as a planning committee member for the Georgia Tech School of Biological Sciences retreat. These experiences have strengthened my readiness for a faculty position and helped solidify my identity as an independent investigator. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Project results have been widely shared through both scientific and public-facing channels. I gave five formal presentations over the past year, including invited talks and research symposia, to communicate findings to peers and potential collaborators. I also contributed to community outreach through hands-on pollinator education events at the Atlanta Science Festival and Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, where I helped children and families learn about bee biology and conservation. Informally, I discussed emerging results during lab meetings, departmental retreats, and multi-lab collaborations. Several manuscripts based on this work are currently in review or preparation for submission to peer-reviewed journals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the upcoming reporting period, I plan to finalize and submit manuscripts detailing the behavioral, morphological, and gene expression effects of sulfoxaflor on bumblebees.With new artificial insemination tools and protocolsin hand, I will pursue controlled breeding experiments to test hypotheses about genetic correlations and developmental integration. In addition, I plan to engage more directly with agricultural stakeholders by sharing data and developing outreach materials that translate our findings for farmers and extension agents. These efforts will help close the gap between laboratory findings and real-world pollinator management.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Over the past year, I made substantial progress toward the project's goals. I successfully maintained an active bumblebee research program, completing several major experiments that advance our understanding of how sulfoxaflor affects bee development and colony performance. Specifically, we found that sulfoxaflor exposure alters caste-specific behavior, reduces reproductive output, and changes brain and ovary gene expression profiles. We also discovered that sulfoxaflor affects developmental scaling (allometry), with impacts on the size and morphology of specific traits in a caste-dependent manner. Currently, this project has supported the publication offour peer-reviewed manuscripts;two additional manuscripts are under reviewand two additional projects are in preparation. Overall, this award is projected tosupport the publication of 8 manuscripts.
Publications
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Orr SE, Hedrick NA, Murray KA, Pasupuleti AK, Kovacs JL, and Goodisman MAD. 2024. Genetic and environmental effects on morphological traits of social phenotypes in wasps. Heredity. 133, 126-136. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41437-024-00701-5
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Orr SE, Hedrick NA, Murray KA, Pasupuleti AK, and Goodisman MAD. 2024. Novel insights into paternity skew in a polyandrous social wasp. 31,6. Insect Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.13343
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Catto MA, Caine PB, Orr SE, Hunt BG, and Goodisman MAD. 2024. Genomic analyses of the southern and eastern yellowjacket wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) reveal evolutionary signatures of social life. Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 117, 6. 286-300. https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/saae023
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Orr SE, Xu J, Juneau WC, and Goodisman MAD. 2025. Bumblebees prefer sulfoxaflor contaminated food and show caste-specific differences in sulfoxaflor sensitivity. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. vgae007. https://doi.org/10.1093/etojnl/vgae007
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Orr SE, Murray KA, Bossard ELM, and Goodisman MAD. How does sulfoxaflor affect bumblebee caste development? Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology. Atlanta, GA. January 2025.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Orr SE and Goodisman MAD. How does sulfoxaflor affect bumblebee caste development? Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting. Phoenix, AZ. November 2024.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Catto MA, Caine PB, Orr SE, Hunt BG, and Goodisman MAD. Genomic analyses of the southern and eastern yellowjacket wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) reveal evolutionary signatures of social life. Entomological Society of America Meeting. Poster Presentation. Phoenix, AZ; November 2024.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Bossard EL, Orr SE, and Goodisman MAD. Developmental sulfoxaflor exposure delays colony maturation and alters morphological allometry in bumblebees. Georgia Tech Undergraduate Research Symposium. Atlanta, GA; April 2025.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Orr SE. The buzz about social insect genetics and pollinator health. University of Richmond. Richmond, VA. Invited Seminar Presentation. November 2024.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Orr SE. The buzz about social insect genetics and pollinator health. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. Socorro, New Mexico. Invited Seminar Presentation. December 2024.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Orr SE. The buzz about social insect genetics and pollinator health. University of Tampa. Tampa, Florida. Invited Seminar Presentation. December 2024.
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Progress 06/01/23 to 05/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:My primary target audience during this reporting period was underrepresented individuals in STEM. I worked closely with three undergraduate students and one master's student part of several different groups that are underrepresented in STEM including female students, LGBTQ students, and students of ethnic minorities. My mentoring and instruction of these students matters because it increases participation of these groups in research, improves their collegiate experience, and improves my ability to be a strong mentor and leader in research. Another target audience was the Atlanta, GA community. Our lab participated in the Atlanta Science Festival, bringing hands-on educational opportunities about social insects and pollinators to community members of all ages and walks of life. This matters because we are improving general public education on important, agriculturally relevant topics and improving the visibility of our research. Changes/Problems:We are on track to complete our proposed aims. However, we found that our Bombus impatiens colonies were all monandrous. Therefore, we continued to use B. impatiens for studies related to pesticide exposure in bumblebees. This included examining caste differences in sensitivity to sulfoxaflor, differences in thiamethoxam and sulfoxaflor toxicity, behavioral and reproductive outputs after chronic exposure to sulfoxaflor, and more. And we are now using the polyandrous, social wasp, Vespula maculifrons, to answer questions about genetically correlated development between castes. Finally, we recently ordered and began training on an artificial insemination tool to attempt to obtain polyandrous colonies of B. impatiens. Successful development of artificial insemination techniques in Bombus would open up entirely new avenues of research and study. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?I have taken advantage of many different training and professional development opportunities. I completed a Project Management Certificate Program through Georgia Tech's Postdoctoral Services, which included over 40 hours of instruction and a final portfolio. I have also spent a lot of time developing my mentorship, leadership, and management skills in the lab working with graduate and undergraduate students. I have taken advantage of many presentation and networking opportunities through invited seminars and national conferences. I taught as a guest lecturer in the Physics of Living Systems class at Georgia Tech in early 2024. Overall, this project has significantly contributed to my training and professional development as an early-career scientist. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated to communities of interest in several different ways. First, I presented our results 8 times in formal oral or poster presentations at invited seminars, national conferences, and local poster symposium. Further, our results have been discussed informally at lab meetings, joint lab meetings, and with the general public at the Atlanta Science Festival or other public events. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Our goals are achievable within the next reporting period, and I feel very confident that the methods and techniques developed will allow me to accomplish a lot. For example, we have streamlined bumblebee husbandry and received new artificial insemination tools to improve our genetic experimental goals. We also have a large study that is currently ongoing that will address several of our primary goals including assessing how pesticide exposure affects caste development, morphology, and sex ratios. Further, I currently have three publications under review and at least two additional projects that will eventually be written into manuscripts. I also plan to continue presenting, networking, mentoring, guest lecturing, and growing as a scientist. One primary goal that I plan to address in this next reporting period is to interact with stakeholders. With a strong suite of results about the risks to pollinators on crops using sulfoxaflor, I look forward to collaborating with local farmers.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
I was able to make a lot of progress on our goals over the past year. First, I set up an entire bumblebee lab from scratch by reading, networking, and a lot of trial and error! I established a highly efficient bumblebee lab space with relevant equipment and supplies needed to support animal husbandry. I also conducted a large number of experiments that have contributed to multiple different projects. First, we found that bumblebees prefer sulfoxaflor contaminated food and show caste-specific differences in sulfoxaflor sensitivity. Next, we also found that chronic sulfoxaflor exposure altered nest building, reproductive output, and gene expression in the brains and ovaries of bumblebees.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Juneau A, Orr SE, Goodisman MAD. Toxicity of pesticides thiamethoxam and sulfoxaflor on Bombus impatiens. Southeastern Population Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics (SEPEEG) Conference. Pembroke, VA; September 2023. (Won Best Student Poster Award)
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Embracing the Winding Path of Scientific Careers Integrative and Comparative Biology Interview and Blog Post by Esther Okamoto
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
USDA Fellow to Study Pesticide Exposure in Key Pollinators Georgia Tech College of Sciences News Story
- Type:
Other
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Orr SE. Physiological mechanisms of global insect decline. Invited Seminar at Mercer University School of Medicine. Macon, Georgia. January 2024.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Orr SE. Physiological mechanisms of global insect decline. Invited seminar at University of Georgia. Athens, Georgia. December 2023.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Orr SE and Goodisman MAD. Hazard of an emerging pesticide on bumblebees. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. Seattle, WA. January 2024.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Orr SE. Effects of the pesticide sulfoxaflor on bumblebee castes and feeding behavior. Southeastern Branch Entomological Society of America Symposium. Augusta, Georgia. March 2024.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Murray KA, Bossard ELM, Orr SE, and Goodisman MAD. Bombus impatiens bumblebees collectively prefer sulfoxaflor contaminated food. Georgia Tech Undergraduate Research Symposium. Atlanta, GA; April 2024. (Won Peoples Choice Poster Award)
- Type:
Other
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Orr SE. Physiology and ecology of insects in a changing world. Invited Seminar at Texas Christian University. Fort Worth, Texas. October 2023.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Orr SE, Hedrick NA, Murray KA, Pasupuleti AK, and Goodisman MAD. Novel insights into paternity skew in a polyandrous social wasp. In press. Insect Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.13343
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Orr SE. Community gardens: a solution to combat food insecurity and promote native bee conservation. The American Entomologist, 69(4):64. Winter Issue 2023. https://doi.org/10.1093/ae/tmad065
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Orr SE and Goodisman MAD. Genetic architecture of social phenotypes in wasps. Entomological Society of America Meeting. National Harbor, Maryland. November 2023.
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