The other face of pollinating insects and their relationship to geminivirus transmission

Abstract

Pollinating insects play an extremely important role in the production of agricultural crops throughout the world. But some of them can simultaneously help transmit other organisms, such as geminiviruses, which cause damage to plants and can reduce production. Bees are decisively involved in the reproduction of many plant species, they harvest pollen from the flowers of some plants, nectar from others. Stingless bees of the genus Trigona visit the plants to extract resources such as fiber and resin that they use to build their exposed nests and, as an indirect consequence, pollinate the plants during this process. This review highlights the ecological role of bees and bumblebees as insects that favor the pollination of plants, but have also been found to be part of a plant-geminivirus interaction.