Imagery of bees by team’s imaging technology. Courtesy of Silas Bossert lab/WSU
A team of researchers from Washington State University have discovered that bees originated over 120 million years ago on an ancestral supercontinent, western Gondwana. This revelation provides deeper understanding of the evolutionary journey of bees, their transition from wasps, and their significant contribution to biodiversity. It paves the way for future exploration and measures for pollinator preservation.
The Emergence of Bees
New research shows that the first bees emerged on a primordial supercontinent over 120 million years ago, spreading and diversifying more quickly and widely than previously thought.
The study, spearheaded by researchers from Washington State University, gives a fresh best guess for the time and place of bees’ original evolution. Recently published in the journal Current Biology, the project traced back the evolution of bees, evaluated their age, and pinpointed their probable geographic spread worldwide.
The results suggest that bees first appeared in western Gondwana, an ancient supercontinent which incorporated what are now the continents of Africa and South America.
“The location of bee origins has been an enduring mystery,” said Silas Bossert, Assistant Professor with WSU’s Department of Entomology, who co-directed the project with Eduardo Almeida, Associate Professor at the University of São Paulo, Brazil.
Imagery of bees by team’s imaging technology. Courtesy of Silas Bossert lab
Comprehensive Genome-Wide Data Analysis
Working alongside a global team, Bossert and Almeida’s group sequenced and compared genes from over 200 bee species. They examined them alongside characteristics from 185 different bee fossils, including extinct species, creating a historical map of bee evolution and distribution. In what may be the most exhaustive genomic study of bees so far, they analyzed hundreds to thousands of genes simultaneously to ensure the accuracy of their inferred relationships.
“This is the first time we have comprehensive genome-wide data for all seven bee families,” said co-author Elizabeth Murray, a WSU Assistant Professor of Entomology.
Transition of Bees From Wasps
Past research established that the first bees evolved from wasps, moving from being predators to gatherers of nectar and pollen. This study reveals they originated in the arid regions of western Gondwana during the early Cretaceous period.
“We now have statistical proof that bees originated on Gondwana,” Bossert said. “Bees are fundamentally southern hemisphere insects.”
A fragment of ancient amber containing a minuscule, fossilized bee. Bossert and colleagues from around the world compared features of bees from fossils, including extinct species, in one of the most exhaustive genomic studies of bees so far. Courtesy: Bossert lab
Geographic Spread and Diversification of Bees
The researchers discovered that as new continents formed, bees migrated northward, diversifying and spreading in a simultaneous partnership with angiosperms, or flowering plants. Later on, they colonized India and Australia. All major bee families appeared to have diverged before the start of the Tertiary period, 65 million years ago—the period when dinosaurs became extinct.
Bees and Plant Diversity
The western hemisphere’s tropical regions have an exceptionally diverse flora, potentially due to their longstanding association with bees, the authors noted. A quarter of all flowering plants belong to the large and varied rose family, which constitute a significant portion of the tropical and temperate host plants for bees.
Further Research and Preservation Efforts
Bossert’s team plans to broaden their efforts, sequencing and studying the genetics and history of more bee species. Their findings are an important starting point in understanding how bees and flowering plants co-evolved. Knowing how bees spread and occupied their modern ecological niches could also help maintain healthy pollinator populations.
“More people are focusing on the preservation of bees and making efforts to ensure their survival in their habitats,” Murray said. “This research paves the way for more studies on the historical and ecological backdrop.”
Reference: “The evolutionary history of bees in time and space” by Eduardo A.B. Almeida, Silas Bossert, Bryan N. Danforth, Diego S. Porto, Felipe V. Freitas, Charles C. Davis, Elizabeth A. Murray, Bonnie B. Blaimer, Tamara Spasojevic, Patrícia R. Ströher, Michael C. Orr, Laurence Packer, Seán G. Brady, Michael Kuhlmann, Michael G. Branstetter and Marcio R. Pie, 27 July 2023, Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.07.005
Additional participants included Felipe Freitas, Washington State University; Bryan Danforth, Cornell University; Charles Davis, Harvard University; Bonnie Blaimer, Tamara Spasojevic, and Seán Brady, Smithsonian Institution; Patrícia Ströher and Marcio Pie, Federal University of Paraná, Brazil; Michael Orr, State Museum of Natural History, Stuttgart; Laurence Packer, York University; Michael Kuhlmann, University of Kiel; and Michael G. Branstetter, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Evolutionary history
Question: When did bees first evolve, and where?
Answer: Bees first evolved over 120 million years ago on the ancient supercontinent, western Gondwana, which included present-day Africa and South America.
Question: How was the evolutionary history of bees studied?
Answer: Researchers from Washington State University conducted a comprehensive genome-wide analysis, comparing genes from over 200 bee species and traits from 185 bee fossils, reconstructing the evolutionary history and distribution.
Question: What is the relationship between bees and flowering plants?
Answer: Bees and flowering plants have a mutualistic relationship. As bees spread and diversified, they partnered with angiosperms, the flowering plants, contributing to the rich flora in tropical regions of the western hemisphere.
Question: What did the study reveal about bees’ transition from wasps?
Answer: The research showed that the first bees likely evolved from wasps and shifted from being predators to becoming collectors of nectar and pollen during the early Cretaceous period.
Question: What are the implications of the study for pollinator conservation?
Answer: Understanding bees’ evolutionary history and ecological niches can aid in preserving pollinator populations. The findings provide insights into the importance of bees in biodiversity and highlight the need for conservation efforts.
More about Evolutionary history
- Original Article: “The evolutionary history of bees in time and space”
- Washington State University’s Department of Entomology
- University of São Paulo, Brazil
- Cornell University’s Department of Entomology
- Harvard University’s Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
- Smithsonian Institution’s Department of Entomology
- Federal University of Paraná, Brazil
- State Museum of Natural History, Stuttgart
- York University’s Department of Biology
- University of Kiel, Germany
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
