Fungi and bees: A new approach to ecosystem health

Sydney ID EMCR, Dr Kenya Fernandes has been awarded a prestigious Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award to lead pioneering research into the intricate relationships between bees and fungi within Australian ecosystems. 

Thanks to Sydney ID Fungisphere seed funding awarded in 2023, Dr Fernandes, a research fellow at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, was able to collect preliminary data and build key collaborations, laying the foundation for the success of the DECRA proposal. 

Sydney ID's Fungisphere SIG Leader, Associate Professor Justin Beardsley said, "it's great to see Kenya being rewarded for all her hard work. We are delighted to see yet another example of the seed funding that Sydney ID provides to its members being turned into something much larger".

Honey bees are essential pollinators, responsible for one in every three bites of food we eat and contributing billions to the Australian economy. Australia is also home to nearly 2,000 species of native bees, each vital for sustaining our native flora and preserving the unique biodiversity of our ecosystems. However, there is an urgent need to safeguard these bee populations amid mounting treats from habitat loss, climate change, pesticides, and invasive species like the varroa mite.

Dr. Fernandes’ project will focus on an unexpected ally in this fight: fungi. While many associate fungi with decomposition or disease, recent global research has shown that they can also be critically beneficial to bees – enhancing nutrition, boosting immunity, and even helping fend off harmful pathogens. "Bees don’t exist in isolation,” says Dr. Fernandes. “They interact with a variety of organisms, including fungi, which can either help or hinder their survival.”

Dr. Fernandes will explore how specific fungi interact with both honey bee and native bee populations, exploring their nutritional and functional roles. She will investigate how bees use antimicrobial hive products, such as honey and plant resins, to naturally regulate fungal growth – potentially identifying leads for the development of new eco-friendly fungicides based on these natural compounds.

Additionally, she will examine the role of bees as vectors in the dissemination of fungal spores across diverse environments – a possibility that raises concerns about the transmission of fungal pathogens, particularly in the context of climate change. "My goal is to map the role fungi play in bee health and the role bees play in fungal dispersal,” explains Dr Fernandes. “By better understanding these interactions, we can develop solutions that protect both bees and the environments they pollinate.”

With the DECRA fellowship, Dr. Fernandes will build a dynamic research team and forge collaborations with experts in microbial ecology, infectious disease, climate science, and agricultural sustainability. This interdisciplinary approach aims to ensure the findings of this research have broad applications - from safeguarding bee populations to mitigating the spread of fungal diseases, ultimately enhancing agricultural resilience and biodiversity conservation.

Want to learn more about Fungisphere?
Catchup on our youtube The Fungisphere Webinar Series