INFECTION INTENSITY AND VIRULENCE DETERMINED BY POLLINATOR COMMUNITY CONTEXT IN A MULTI-HOST PARASITE

My goal is to describe how bee community diversity affects infectivity and virulence of the common gut parasite, Crithidia bombi by focusing on three objectives, addressing how C. bombi strains from communities differing in bee diversity vary in:Objective 1. Infection success and intensity in commercial Bombus impatiensObjective 2. Infection success and intensity across multiple bee speciesObjective 3. Virulence in B. impatiensAdvancing our understanding of complex host-parasite interactions in pollinator communities will provide key knowledge on consequences of diversity loss and inform management practices supporting pollinator diversity in agricultural settings.