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Understanding the role of phytopathogens in the mycobiome of blueberry-foraging Western Cape honeybees (Apis mellifera capensis).
Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2025.
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| Format: | Thesis |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
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| _version_ | 1867614134094266368 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Schuin, Janine |
| author2 | Jacobs, Karin |
| author_browse | Jacobs, Karin Schuin, Janine |
| author_facet | Jacobs, Karin Schuin, Janine |
| author_sort | Schuin, Janine |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134813 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:47:12.516Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134813 Understanding the role of phytopathogens in the mycobiome of blueberry-foraging Western Cape honeybees (Apis mellifera capensis). Schuin, Janine Jacobs, Karin Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Science. Dept. of Microbiology. Honeybees Plant-pollinator relationships Insect-fungus relationships Cape honeybee Blueberries -- South Africa Blueberries -- Diseases and pests -- Biological control Agriculture -- Economic aspects -- South Africa UCTD Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. Schuin, J. 2025. Understanding the role of phytopathogens in the mycobiome of blueberry-foraging Western Cape honeybees (Apis mellifera capensis). Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/f7a435a6-87a9-41b9-a140-5e73753488f3 ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are integral to global biodiversity and play a pivotal role in agricultural ecosystems. In South Africa, for example, they are essential pollinators for crops like blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum). Despite their ecological importance, honeybee populations are in widespread decline due to factors such as habitat loss, nutritional stress, pathogen exposure, and pesticide contamination. Recent research highlights the honeybee microbiome—a superorganism comprising diverse bacteria, fungi, and other microbes—as a key component of bee health and resilience, aiding in processes such as digestion, immunity, and detoxification. While much attention has been given to the bacterial microbiome, the role of fungi remains underexplored, particularly in their interactions with bees, forage plants, and hive environments. Fungal plant pathogens like Botrytis cinerea and Cladosporium spp., which are associated with significant crop losses, may also substantially impact honeybee health, either as plant pathogens leading to reduced crop production or as potentially beneficial symbionts. This dissertation investigates the ecological and physiological relationship between honeybees and fungi, with a particular focus on blueberry cultivation in South Africa—a region increasingly reliant on managed pollination services within this growing agro-economic sector. In Chapter 2, a meta-analysis of literature on honeybee-associated fungi revealed a noteworthy presence of fungi, classified either as primary plant pathogens or as having the potential to become plant pathogens, frequently detected in pollen samples. This underscores the potential role of honeybees as vectors for fungal dispersal. Chapter 3 presents field and greenhouse studies confirming the presence of B. cinerea and Cladosporium spp. in the honeybee microbiome and demonstrates the role of bees in transporting fungal spores. Additionally, small-scale preference assays suggest that honeybees exhibit a behavioural affinity for pollen-containing fungal spores, indicating possible nutritional or ecological interactions beyond passive dispersal. Chapter 4 explores the physiological consequences of fungal ingestion, revealing that pollen supplemented with B. cinerea or Cladosporium cladosporioides spores influences gene expression related to immunity and stress. Nutrient analyses of supplemented pollen further suggest shifts in nutrient assimilation that may enhance bee resilience under conditions of nutritional stress. These findings deepen our understanding of the honeybee-fungal relationship, challenging the conventional view of these fungi as solely detrimental pathogens. Instead, this research highlights the complex and dynamic roles fungi may play as both harmful agents and beneficial partners, potentially enhancing honeybee resilience in certain contexts. It calls for a more integrated approach to agricultural management, where pollinator health and the microorganisms they carry are considered alongside crop productivity. This work also lays the foundation for future research into the functional roles of fungi within the honeybee microbiome, with implications for pollinator health, integrated pest management, and sustainable agricultural practices that support both biodiversity and food security. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar. Doctoral 2026-01-09T07:06:18Z 2026-01-09T07:06:18Z 2025-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134813 Stellenbosch University xxiii, 183 pages : illustrations, maps application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Honeybees Plant-pollinator relationships Insect-fungus relationships Cape honeybee Blueberries -- South Africa Blueberries -- Diseases and pests -- Biological control Agriculture -- Economic aspects -- South Africa UCTD Schuin, Janine Understanding the role of phytopathogens in the mycobiome of blueberry-foraging Western Cape honeybees (Apis mellifera capensis). |
| title | Understanding the role of phytopathogens in the mycobiome of blueberry-foraging Western Cape honeybees (Apis mellifera capensis). |
| title_full | Understanding the role of phytopathogens in the mycobiome of blueberry-foraging Western Cape honeybees (Apis mellifera capensis). |
| title_fullStr | Understanding the role of phytopathogens in the mycobiome of blueberry-foraging Western Cape honeybees (Apis mellifera capensis). |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding the role of phytopathogens in the mycobiome of blueberry-foraging Western Cape honeybees (Apis mellifera capensis). |
| title_short | Understanding the role of phytopathogens in the mycobiome of blueberry-foraging Western Cape honeybees (Apis mellifera capensis). |
| title_sort | understanding the role of phytopathogens in the mycobiome of blueberry foraging western cape honeybees apis mellifera capensis |
| topic | Honeybees Plant-pollinator relationships Insect-fungus relationships Cape honeybee Blueberries -- South Africa Blueberries -- Diseases and pests -- Biological control Agriculture -- Economic aspects -- South Africa UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134813 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT schuinjanine understandingtheroleofphytopathogensinthemycobiomeofblueberryforagingwesterncapehoneybeesapismelliferacapensis |