Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Wild bees are critical pollinators of agricultural crops and wildflowers. Despite widespread concern over bee declines, it is estimated that 2030% of bee species remain undescribed. My research program targets key knowledge gaps for pollinator ecology and diversity by resolving the taxonomy and phylogeny of wild bees. Taxonomy is the backbone to all other aspects of biology and phylogenetics provides the context for understanding evolutionary history. Bees in the genus Lasioglossum are the most commonly collected in North America and most taxonomically challenging due to a recent and rapid diversification to more than 1800 species globally. Lasioglossum displays a remarkable diversity of behaviours, including solitary nesting and an array of social behaviours, including communal nesting, semi-sociality, facultative or obligate eusociality, annual or perennial colonies, and social parasitism. My first PhD student will complete the only comprehensive taxonomic study of this genus in Western North America. This research will remove barriers to our understanding of native bee diversity, which will allow for effective monitoring and conservation of these important pollinators. The behavioural diversity of Lasioglossum makes it ideal for studying social evolution. A global scale phylogeny will allow for reconstruction of behavioural evolution, and provide insight into how this affected its rapid diversification and cosmopolitan distribution. I will use a revolutionary new approach for generating thousands of genetic loci to elucidate the evolutionary history of the genus Lasioglossum. Targeted enrichment of Ultra Conserved Elements (UCEs) is a powerful new tool for rapid and cost effective generation of phylogenomic data. A second PhD student will generate and analyse phylogenomic for Lasioglossum that will be used to study social evolution and factors associated with increased speciation rates, including biogeography and sociality. My research program will alleviate taxonomic impediments that limit our ability to understand pollinator health and diversity, areas that are crucial to ecosystem services and Canadian agriculture. My research will develop the phylogenetic framework for using Lasioglossum as a model for understanding the most spectacular global radiation of any genus-group of bee and the greatest diversity of social behaviour of any comparable taxon. My research program will develop new international research collaborations and expand on existing ones to contribute to the recognition of Canada as an international centre for studies of pollinator diversity and systematics. Students trained in taxonomy and phylogenomics will be well placed to engage in research at national and international scales. Training of graduate and undergraduate students in cutting-edge methods will provide opportunities for careers both in and out of academia.