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Weinhold A, Grüner E, Keller A. Bumble bee microbiota shows temporal succession and increase of lactic acid bacteria when exposed to outdoor environments. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1342781. [PMID: 38500505 PMCID: PMC10945022 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1342781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Question The large earth bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) maintains a social core gut-microbiota, similar as known from the honey bee, which plays an important role for host health and resistance. Experiments under laboratory conditions with commercial hives are limited to vertically transmitted microbes and neglect influences of environmental factors or external acquisition of microbes. Various environmental and landscape-level factors may have an impact on the gut-microbiota of pollinating insects, with consequences for pollinator health and fitness in agroecosystems. Still, it is not fully clear whether access to different flower diversities will have a significant influence on the bumble bee microbiota. Here, we tested in a semi-field experiment if the bumble bee microbiota changes over time when exposed to different flower diversities within outdoor flight cages. We used commercial hives to distinguish between vertically and horizontally transmitted bacteria, respectively from the nest environment or the exposed outside environment. Result The sequential sampling of foraging workers over a period of 35 days indicated a temporal progression of the bumble bee microbiota when placed outside. The microbiota increased in diversity and changed in composition and variability over time. We observed a major increase in relative abundance of the families Lactobacillaceae, Bifidobacteriaceae and Weeksellaceae. In contrast, major core-taxa like Snodgrassella and Gilliamella declined in their relative abundance over time. The genus Lactobacillus showed a high diversity and strain specific turnover, so that only specific ASVs showed an increase over time, while others had a more erratic occurrence pattern. Exposure to different flower diversities had no significant influence on the progression of the bumble bee microbiota. Conclusion The bumble bee microbiota showed a dynamic temporal succession with distinct compositional changes and diversification over time when placed outdoor. The exposure of bumble bees to environmental conditions, or environmental microbes, increases dissimilarity and changes the gut-community composition. This shows the importance of environmental influences on the temporal dynamic and progression of the bumble bee microbiota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne Weinhold
- Cellular and Organismic Networks, Faculty of Biology, Center for Organismic Adaptation, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
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Porras MF, Raygoza Garay JA, Brought M, López-Londoño T, Chautá A, Crone M, Rajotte EG, Phan N, Joshi NK, Peter K, Biddinger D. Fungicide ingestion reduces net energy gain and microbiome diversity of the solitary mason bee. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3229. [PMID: 38332135 PMCID: PMC10853529 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53935-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Fungicides are frequently used during tree fruit bloom and can threaten insect pollinators. However, little is known about how non-honey bee pollinators such as the solitary bee, Osmia cornifrons, respond to contact and systemic fungicides commonly used in apple production during bloom. This knowledge gap limits regulatory decisions that determine safe concentrations and timing for fungicide spraying. We evaluated the effects of two contact fungicides (captan and mancozeb) and four translaminar/plant systemic fungicides (cyprodinil, myclobutanil, penthiopyrad, and trifloxystrobin) on larval weight gain, survival, sex ratio, and bacterial diversity. This assessment was carried out using chronic oral ingestion bioassays where pollen provisions were treated with three doses based on the currently recommended field use dose (1X), half dose (0.5X), and low dose (0.1X). Mancozeb and penthiopyrad significantly reduced larval weight and survival at all doses. We then sequenced the 16S gene to characterize the larvae bacteriome of mancozeb, the fungicide that caused the highest mortality. We found that larvae fed on mancozeb-treated pollen carried significantly lower bacterial diversity and abundance. Our laboratory results suggest that some of these fungicides can be particularly harmful to the health of O. cornifrons when sprayed during bloom. This information is relevant for future management decisions about the sustainable use of fruit tree crop protection products and informing regulatory processes that aim to protect pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitzy F Porras
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, 501 ASI Bldg, University Park, USA.
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94132, USA.
| | - Juan Antonio Raygoza Garay
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Dr, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Malachi Brought
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, 501 ASI Bldg, University Park, USA
| | - Tomas López-Londoño
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, 208 Mueller Lab, University Park, PA16802, USA
| | - Alexander Chautá
- Department of Ecology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
| | - Makaylee Crone
- Center for Pollinator Research, Intercollege Graduate Program in Ecology, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802, USA
| | - Edwin G Rajotte
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, 501 ASI Bldg, University Park, USA
| | - Ngoc Phan
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
| | - Neelendra K Joshi
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
| | - Kari Peter
- Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, Fruit Research and Extension Center, Pennsylvania State University, 290 University Dr., Biglerville, PA, 17307, USA
| | - David Biddinger
- Department of Entomology, Fruit Research and Extension Center, 290 University Dr., Biglerville, PA, 17307, USA
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Steffan SA, Dharampal PS, Kueneman JG, Keller A, Argueta-Guzmán MP, McFrederick QS, Buchmann SL, Vannette RL, Edlund AF, Mezera CC, Amon N, Danforth BN. Microbes, the 'silent third partners' of bee-angiosperm mutualisms. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:65-77. [PMID: 37940503 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
While bee-angiosperm mutualisms are widely recognized as foundational partnerships that have shaped the diversity and structure of terrestrial ecosystems, these ancient mutualisms have been underpinned by 'silent third partners': microbes. Here, we propose reframing the canonical bee-angiosperm partnership as a three-way mutualism between bees, microbes, and angiosperms. This new conceptualization casts microbes as active symbionts, processing and protecting pollen-nectar provisions, consolidating nutrients for bee larvae, enhancing floral attractancy, facilitating plant fertilization, and defending bees and plants from pathogens. In exchange, bees and angiosperms provide their microbial associates with food, shelter, and transportation. Such microbial communities represent co-equal partners in tripartite mutualisms with bees and angiosperms, facilitating one of the most important ecological partnerships on land.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn A Steffan
- US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 1575 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
| | - Prarthana S Dharampal
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Biology Department, McHenry County College, 8900 Northwest Hwy #14, Crystal Lake, IL 60012, USA
| | - Jordan G Kueneman
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Comstock Hall, 2126, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Alexander Keller
- Cellular and Organismic Networks, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Martinsried, Germany
| | | | - Quinn S McFrederick
- Department of Entomology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Stephen L Buchmann
- Department of Entomology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Rachel L Vannette
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Anna F Edlund
- Department of Biology, Bethany College, 31 E Campus Drive, Bethany, WV 26032, USA
| | - Celeste C Mezera
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Nolan Amon
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Bryan N Danforth
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Comstock Hall, 2126, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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Bell KL, Turo KJ, Lowe A, Nota K, Keller A, Encinas‐Viso F, Parducci L, Richardson RT, Leggett RM, Brosi BJ, Burgess KS, Suyama Y, de Vere N. Plants, pollinators and their interactions under global ecological change: The role of pollen DNA metabarcoding. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:6345-6362. [PMID: 36086900 PMCID: PMC10947134 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic activities are triggering global changes in the environment, causing entire communities of plants, pollinators and their interactions to restructure, and ultimately leading to species declines. To understand the mechanisms behind community shifts and declines, as well as monitoring and managing impacts, a global effort must be made to characterize plant-pollinator communities in detail, across different habitat types, latitudes, elevations, and levels and types of disturbances. Generating data of this scale will only be feasible with rapid, high-throughput methods. Pollen DNA metabarcoding provides advantages in throughput, efficiency and taxonomic resolution over traditional methods, such as microscopic pollen identification and visual observation of plant-pollinator interactions. This makes it ideal for understanding complex ecological networks and their responses to change. Pollen DNA metabarcoding is currently being applied to assess plant-pollinator interactions, survey ecosystem change and model the spatiotemporal distribution of allergenic pollen. Where samples are available from past collections, pollen DNA metabarcoding has been used to compare contemporary and past ecosystems. New avenues of research are possible with the expansion of pollen DNA metabarcoding to intraspecific identification, analysis of DNA in ancient pollen samples, and increased use of museum and herbarium specimens. Ongoing developments in sequencing technologies can accelerate progress towards these goals. Global ecological change is happening rapidly, and we anticipate that high-throughput methods such as pollen DNA metabarcoding are critical for understanding the evolutionary and ecological processes that support biodiversity, and predicting and responding to the impacts of change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen L. Bell
- CSIRO Health & Biosecurity and CSIRO Land & WaterFloreatWAAustralia
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Western AustraliaCrawleyWAAustralia
| | - Katherine J. Turo
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural ResourcesRutgers UniversityNew BrunswickNew JerseyUSA
| | | | - Kevin Nota
- Department of Ecology and GeneticsEvolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| | - Alexander Keller
- Organismic and Cellular Networks, Faculty of BiologyBiocenter, Ludwig‐Maximilians‐Universität MünchenPlaneggGermany
| | - Francisco Encinas‐Viso
- Centre for Australian National Biodiversity ResearchCSIROBlack MountainAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Laura Parducci
- Department of Ecology and GeneticsEvolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
- Department of Environmental BiologySapienza University of RomeRomeItaly
| | - Rodney T. Richardson
- Appalachian LaboratoryUniversity of Maryland Center for Environmental ScienceFrostburgMarylandUSA
| | | | - Berry J. Brosi
- Department of BiologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Kevin S. Burgess
- Department of BiologyCollege of Letters and Sciences, Columbus State University, University System of GeorgiaAtlantaGeorgiaUSA
| | - Yoshihisa Suyama
- Field Science CenterGraduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku UniversityOsakiMiyagiJapan
| | - Natasha de Vere
- Natural History Museum of DenmarkUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
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Ronchetti F, Polidori C, Schmitt T, Steffan-Dewenter I, Keller A. Bacterial gut microbiomes of aculeate brood parasites overlap with their aculeate hosts', but have higher diversity and specialization. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2022; 98:6832279. [PMID: 36396342 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiac137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite growing interest in gut microbiomes of aculeate Hymenoptera, research so far focused on social bees, wasps, and ants, whereas non-social taxa and their brood parasites have not received much attention. Brood parasitism, however, allows to distinguish between microbiome components horizontally transmitted by spill-over from the host with such inherited through vertical transmission by mothers. Here, we studied the bacterial gut microbiome of adults in seven aculeate species in four brood parasite-host systems: two bee-mutillid (host-parasitoid) systems, one halictid bee-cuckoo bee system, and one wasp-chrysidid cuckoo wasp system. We addressed the following questions: (1) Do closely related species possess a more similar gut microbiome? (2) Do brood parasites share components of the microbiome with their host? (3) Do brood parasites have different diversity and specialization of microbiome communities compared with the hosts? Our results indicate that the bacterial gut microbiome of the studied taxa was species-specific, yet with a limited effect of host phylogenetic relatedness and a major contribution of shared microbes between hosts and parasites. However, contrasting patterns emerged between bee-parasite systems and the wasp-parasite system. We conclude that the gut microbiome in adult brood parasites is largely affected by their host-parasite relationships and the similarity of trophic food sources between hosts and parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Ronchetti
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Carlo Polidori
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP), University of Milan, Via Celoria 2. 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Thomas Schmitt
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Keller
- Cellular and Organismic Networks, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Grosshaderner Str. 2, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
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