Citation:

Milsk, R., Dan Villeneuve, G. Ankley, K. Garber, K. Sappington, J. Housenger, AND C. LaLone. Role of the Varroa mite in honeybee (Apis mellifera) colony loss: A case study for adverse outcome pathway development with a nonchemical stressor. SETAC North America, Salt Lake City, UT, November 01 - 05, 2015.

Impact/Purpose:

not applicable

Description:

Significant honeybee colony losses have been reported across North America and Europe in recent years. A number of factors, both chemical and nonchemical, have been associated with such losses. Adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) provide a conceptual framework to describe and evaluate weight of evidence linking the perturbation of key events along biological pathways (across multiple levels of biological organization) to adverse outcomes of regulatory concern and therefore can be of utility for understanding impacts of stressors to honeybee populations. An AOP network is being constructed to describe multiple stressors that impact honeybee health. As a component of this network, this presentation will focus on the role of the Varroa mite (Varroa destructor), a nonchemical stressor, as a contributor to honeybee colony losses. In particular, the AOP construct will be used to describe linkages between viral susceptibility and subsequent honeybee colony loss, and further demonstrate where chemical and nonchemical stressors merge, collectively impacting key events along the pathway. The development of AOPs can aid in the identification of knowledge gaps and inform research prioritization efforts in this area of increasing environmental and economic concern.

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