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Thamm M, Reiß F, Sohl L, Gabel M, Noll M, Scheiner R. Solitary Bees Host More Bacteria and Fungi on Their Cuticle than Social Bees. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2780. [PMID: 38004791 PMCID: PMC10673014 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11112780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Bees come into contact with bacteria and fungi from flowering plants during their foraging trips. The Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) shows a pronounced hygienic behavior with social interactions, while the solitary red mason bee (Osmia bicornis) lacks a social immune system. Since both visit the same floral resources, it is intriguing to speculate that the body surface of a solitary bee should harbor a more complex microbiome than that of the social honeybee. We compared the cuticular microbiomes of A. mellifera (including three European subspecies) and O. bicornis for the first time by bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal ITS gene-based high-throughput amplicon sequencing. The cuticular microbiome of the solitary O. bicornis was significantly more complex than that of the social A. mellifera. The microbiome composition of A. mellifera subspecies was very similar. However, we counted significantly different numbers of fungi and a higher diversity in the honeybee subspecies adapted to warmer climates. Our results suggest that the cuticular microbiome of bees is strongly affected by visited plants, lifestyle and adaptation to temperature, which have important implications for the maintenance of the health of bees under conditions of global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Thamm
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany; (M.T.); (M.G.)
| | - Fabienne Reiß
- Institute of Bioanalysis, Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts, 96450 Coburg, Germany; (F.R.); (L.S.)
| | - Leon Sohl
- Institute of Bioanalysis, Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts, 96450 Coburg, Germany; (F.R.); (L.S.)
| | - Martin Gabel
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany; (M.T.); (M.G.)
- Landesbetrieb Landwirtschaft Hessen, Bee Institute Kirchhain, 35274 Kirchhain, Germany
| | - Matthias Noll
- Institute of Bioanalysis, Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts, 96450 Coburg, Germany; (F.R.); (L.S.)
- Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research, University of Bayreuth, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Ricarda Scheiner
- Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany; (M.T.); (M.G.)
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Felicioli A, Sagona S, Coppola F, Boni CB, Pinzauti M. Effect of Ageing in the Mating Behaviour Sequence of Osmia cornuta Latr. (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). INSECTS 2023; 14:335. [PMID: 37103150 PMCID: PMC10145882 DOI: 10.3390/insects14040335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Osmia cornuta Latr. is largely managed worldwide for the pollination of orchard crops, playing a key role in the maintenance of healthy ecosystems and ensuring economic and social benefits for human society. The management techniques of this pollinator include the possibility of delaying emergence from cocoons after diapause, allowing for the pollination of later-blooming fruit crops. In this study, the mating behaviour of bees emerging at the natural time (Right Emergence Insects) and of late-emerged bees (Aged Emergence Insects) was described in order to test if a delay in emergence could affect the mating sequence of O. cornuta. Markov analysis of the mating behaviour revealed the occurrence of antenna motion episodes that were repeated in a stereotyped manner at regular intervals during the mating sequence of both Right Emergence Insects and in Aged Emergence Insects. Pouncing, rhythmic and continuous emission of sound, motion of antennae, stretching of the abdomen, short and long copulations, scratching, inactivity, and self-grooming were identified as the stereotyped behavioural units of a behavioural sequence. The occurrence of short copulations, the frequency of which increased with the age of bees, could lead to a failure in the reproduction of the mason bee.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Felicioli
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
- Interdepartmental Research Centre “Nutraceuticals and Food for Health”, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
- Interdepartmental Centre of Agro-Environmental Research “Enrico Avanzi”, University of Pisa, Via Vecchia di Marina 6, 56122 Pisa, Italy
| | - Simona Sagona
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Francesca Coppola
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
- Interdepartmental Centre of Agro-Environmental Research “Enrico Avanzi”, University of Pisa, Via Vecchia di Marina 6, 56122 Pisa, Italy
| | - Chiara Benedetta Boni
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
- Interdepartmental Centre of Agro-Environmental Research “Enrico Avanzi”, University of Pisa, Via Vecchia di Marina 6, 56122 Pisa, Italy
| | - Mauro Pinzauti
- Italian Beekeeping Federation (FAI), Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 101, 00186 Rome, Italy
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Slominski AH, Burkle LA. Asynchrony between solitary bee emergence and flower availability reduces flower visitation rate and may affect offspring size. Basic Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2021.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Zaragoza-Trello C, Vilà M, Bartomeus I. Interaction between warming and landscape foraging resource availability on solitary bee reproduction. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:2536-2546. [PMID: 34143425 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Solitary bees comprise around 90% of bee species, playing an essential role in both wild and crop plant pollination. Bee populations are jeopardized by different global change pressures such as climate change and landscape transformation. However, the interactive effects of global change components have been little explored, especially for solitary bees. We conducted a factorial experiment using artificial nest-traps to analyse the combined effect of climate warming and landscape transformation on Osmia bicornis reproduction and offspring body size. The number of bee cocoons increased with temperature and flower abundance in the landscape. However, the sex ratio was biased towards males with warming, especially at low flower abundances. Male body size increased with temperature. Conversely, female body sizes showed strong interactive responses, increasing in size with high flower abundance in the landscape, but only at low temperatures. The abortion rate of larvae and parasitization were not significantly affected by neither flower abundance nor temperature. Because the body size of females in O. bicornis is key for the next generation's progeny success, our results indicate that the simultaneous exposure to a shortage of floral resources and high temperatures may have adverse direct fitness effects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Montserrat Vilà
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain.,Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
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Austin AJ, Gilbert JDJ. Solitary bee larvae prioritize carbohydrate over protein in parentally provided pollen. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J. Austin
- Department of Biological and Marine Sciences University of Hull Hull UK
- Strategy & Environment Ku‐ring‐gai Council Gordon NSW Australia
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Beer K, Helfrich-Förster C. Post-embryonic Development of the Circadian Clock Seems to Correlate With Social Life Style in Bees. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:581323. [PMID: 33282863 PMCID: PMC7689364 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.581323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Social life style can influence many aspects of an animal’s daily life, but it has not yet been clarified, whether development of the circadian clock in social and solitary living bees differs. In a comparative study, with the social honey bee, Apis mellifera, and the solitary mason bee, Osmia bicornis, we now found indications for a differentially timed clock development in social and solitary bees. Newly emerged solitary bees showed rhythmic locomotion right away and the number of neurons in the brain that produce the clock component pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) did not change during aging of the adult solitary bee. Honey bees on the other hand, showed no circadian locomotion directly after emergence and the neuronal clock network continued to grow after emergence. Social bees appear to emerge at an early developmental stage at which the circadian clock is still immature, but bees are already able to fulfill in-hive tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Beer
- Department of Neurobiology and Genetics, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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Voulgari-Kokota A, Grimmer G, Steffan-Dewenter I, Keller A. Bacterial community structure and succession in nests of two megachilid bee genera. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2018; 95:5145846. [DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiy218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Voulgari-Kokota
- Department of Bioinformatics, University of Wuerzburg, Biocenter, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
- Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology, University of Wuerzburg, Emil Fischer Straße, Hubland Nord, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Gudrun Grimmer
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Wuerzburg, Biocenter, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Wuerzburg, Biocenter, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Keller
- Department of Bioinformatics, University of Wuerzburg, Biocenter, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
- Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology, University of Wuerzburg, Emil Fischer Straße, Hubland Nord, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
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Ruddle N, Elston C, Klein O, Hamberger A, Thompson H. Effects of exposure to winter oilseed rape grown from thiamethoxam-treated seed on the red mason bee Osmia bicornis. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2018; 37:1071-1083. [PMID: 29120069 DOI: 10.1002/etc.4034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2017] [Revised: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
There has been increasing interest in the effects of neonicotinoid insecticides on wild bees. In solitary bee species the direct link between each individual female and reproductive success offers the opportunity to evaluate effects on individuals. The present study investigated effects of exposure to winter oilseed rape grown from thiamethoxam-treated seed on reproductive behavior and output of solitary red mason bees (Osmia bicornis) released in 6 pairs of fields over a 2-yr period and confined to tunnels in a single year. After adjustment to the number of females released, there was significantly lower production of cells and cocoons/female in tunnels than in open field conditions. This difference may be because of the lack of alternative forage within the tunnels. Under open field conditions, palynology of the pollen provisions within the nests demonstrated a maximum average of 31% oilseed rape pollen at any site, with Quercus (oak) contributing up to 86% of the pollen. There were no significant effects from exposure to oilseed rape grown from thiamethoxam-treated seed from nest establishment through cell production to emergence under tunnel or field conditions. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:1071-1083. © 2017 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Ruddle
- Syngenta, Jealott's Hill International Research Station, Bracknell, Berkshire, United Kingdom
| | - Charlotte Elston
- Syngenta, Jealott's Hill International Research Station, Bracknell, Berkshire, United Kingdom
| | - Olaf Klein
- Eurofins Agroscience Services Ecotox, Niefern-Öschelbronn, Germany
| | - Anja Hamberger
- Eurofins Agroscience Services Ecotox, Niefern-Öschelbronn, Germany
| | - Helen Thompson
- Syngenta, Jealott's Hill International Research Station, Bracknell, Berkshire, United Kingdom
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Macivor JS, Salehi B. Bee species-specific nesting material attracts a generalist parasitoid: implications for co-occurring bees in nest box enhancements. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2014; 43:1027-1033. [PMID: 24959997 DOI: 10.1603/en13241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Artificial nests (e.g., nest boxes) for bees are increasingly being used to contribute to nesting habitat enhancement for bees that use preexisting cavities to provision brood. They usually incorporate additional nesting materials that vary by species. Cavity-nesting bees are susceptible to brood parasitoids that recognize their host(s) using visual and chemical cues. Understanding the range of cues that attract parasitoids to bee nests, including human-made analogues, is important if we wish to control parasitism and increase the potential value of artificial nests as habitat-enhancement strategies. In this study, we investigated the cues associated with the orientation of the generalist brood parasitoid Monodontomerus obscurus Westwood (Hymenoptera: Torymidae) to the nests of a common cavity-nesting resin bee Megachile campanulae (Robertson) (Megachilidae). The parasitoids were reared from previously infested M. campanulae brood cells and placed into choice trials where they were presented with pairs of different nest material cues. Among different materials tested, we found that Mo. obscurus was most attracted to fresh resin collected directly from Pinus strobus trees followed by previously used resin collected from the bee nest. The parasitoid also attacked other bee species in the same nest boxes, including those that do not use resin for nesting. Our findings suggest that M. campanulae could act as a magnet, drawing parasites away from other bee hosts co-occurring in nest boxes, or, as an attractant of Mo. obscurus to nest boxes, increasing attacks on co-occurring host bee species, potentially undermining bee diversity enhancement initiatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Scott Macivor
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
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Guédot C, Buckner JS, Hagen MM, Bosch J, Kemp WP, Pitts-Singer TL. Nest marking behavior and chemical composition of olfactory cues involved in nest recognition in Megachile rotundata. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2013; 42:779-789. [PMID: 23905742 DOI: 10.1603/en13015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
In-nest observations of the solitary bee, Megachile rotundata (F.), revealed that nesting females apply olfactory cues to nests for nest recognition. On their way in and out of the nest, females drag the abdomen along the entire length of the nest, and sometimes deposit fluid droplets from the tip of the abdomen. The removal of bee-marked sections of the nest resulted in hesitation and searching behavior by females, indicating the loss of olfactory cues used for nest recognition. Chemical analysis of female cuticles and the deposits inside marked nesting tubes revealed the presence of hydrocarbons, wax esters, fatty aldehydes, and fatty alcohol acetate esters. Chemical compositions were similar across tube samples, but proportionally different from cuticular extracts. These findings reveal the importance of lipids as chemical signals for nest recognition and suggest that the nest-marking cues are derived from a source in addition to, or other than, the female cuticle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christelle Guédot
- University of Wisconsin, Department of Entomology, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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KAPUSTJANSKIJ A, STREINZER M, PAULUS HF, SPAETHE J. Bigger is better: implications of body size for flight ability under different light conditions and the evolution of alloethism in bumblebees. Funct Ecol 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2007.01329.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Seidelmann K. Open-cell parasitism shapes maternal investment patterns in the Red Mason bee Osmia rufa. Behav Ecol 2006. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arl017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Klein AM, Steffan-Dewenter I, Tscharntke T. Foraging trip duration and density of megachilid bees, eumenid wasps and pompilid wasps in tropical agroforestry systems. J Anim Ecol 2004. [DOI: 10.1111/j.0021-8790.2004.00826.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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