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Astuti PK, Hegedűs B, Oleksa A, Bagi Z, Kusza S. Buzzing with Intelligence: Current Issues in Apiculture and the Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Tackle It. INSECTS 2024; 15:418. [PMID: 38921133 PMCID: PMC11203513 DOI: 10.3390/insects15060418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2024] [Revised: 06/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) are important for agriculture and ecosystems; however, they are threatened by the changing climate. In order to adapt and respond to emerging difficulties, beekeepers require the ability to continuously monitor their beehives. To carry out this, the utilization of advanced machine learning techniques proves to be an exceptional tool. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the available research on the different applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in beekeeping that are relevant to climate change. Presented studies have shown that AI can be used in various scientific aspects of beekeeping and can work with several data types (e.g., sound, sensor readings, images) to investigate, model, predict, and help make decisions in apiaries. Research articles related to various aspects of apiculture, e.g., managing hives, maintaining their health, detecting pests and diseases, and climate and habitat management, were analyzed. It was found that several environmental, behavioral, and physical attributes needed to be monitored in real-time to be able to understand and fully predict the state of the hives. Finally, it could be concluded that even if there is not yet a full-scale monitoring method for apiculture, the already available approaches (even with their identified shortcomings) can help maintain sustainability in the changing apiculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Putri Kusuma Astuti
- Centre for Agricultural Genomics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (P.K.A.); (B.H.); (Z.B.)
- Doctoral School of Animal Science, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
- Department of Animal Breeding and Reproduction, Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia
| | - Bettina Hegedűs
- Centre for Agricultural Genomics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (P.K.A.); (B.H.); (Z.B.)
- Doctoral School of Animal Science, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Andrzej Oleksa
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Kazimierz Wielki University, 85-090 Bydgoszcz, Poland;
| | - Zoltán Bagi
- Centre for Agricultural Genomics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (P.K.A.); (B.H.); (Z.B.)
| | - Szilvia Kusza
- Centre for Agricultural Genomics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (P.K.A.); (B.H.); (Z.B.)
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2
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Wang Y, Ma L, Xu B. Bee wisdom: exploring bee control strategies for food microflora by comparing the physicochemical characteristics and microbial composition of beebread. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0181823. [PMID: 37800944 PMCID: PMC10871783 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01818-23] [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: 04/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Bees are a valuable model for investigating the relationship between environmental factors, gut microbiota, and organismal health. Beebread, produced from collected pollen, is a natural food source and a primary reservoir of gut microorganisms. Although pollen typically has diverse bacterial species, beebread has low species richness and bacterial abundance. Consequently, considerable attention has been paid to the adaptive strategies employed by honey bees to cope with the microorganisms within their food environment during co-evolution with plants. This study identified the distribution patterns of beebread's physicochemical characteristics, showing how bees use fermentation to enrich specific microbes. These findings help understand the relationship between environmental and food-associated microbes and bee intestinal microbiota. They also bridge gaps in the literature and provide a valuable reference for studying the complex interplay between these factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
| | - Lanting Ma
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
| | - Baohua Xu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
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3
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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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4
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Nguyen PN, Rehan SM. Environmental Effects on Bee Microbiota. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2023; 86:1487-1498. [PMID: 37099156 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-023-02226-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic activities and increased land use, which include industrialization, agriculture and urbanization, directly affect pollinators by changing habitats and floral availability, and indirectly by influencing their microbial composition and diversity. Bees form vital symbioses with their microbiota, relying on microorganisms to perform physiological functions and aid in immunity. As altered environments and climate threaten bees and their microbiota, characterizing the microbiome and its complex relationships with its host offers insights into understanding bee health. This review summarizes the role of sociality in microbiota establishment, as well as examines if such factors result in increased susceptibility to altered microbiota due to environmental changes. We characterize the role of geographic distribution, temperature, precipitation, floral resources, agriculture, and urbanization on bee microbiota. Bee microbiota are affected by altered surroundings regardless of sociality. Solitary bees that predominantly acquire their microbiota through the environment are particularly sensitive to such effects. However, the microbiota of obligately eusocial bees are also impacted by environmental changes despite typically well conserved and socially inherited microbiota. We provide an overview of the role of microbiota in plant-pollinator relationships and how bee microbiota play a larger role in urban ecology, offering microbial connections between animals, humans, and the environment. Understanding bee microbiota presents opportunities for sustainable land use restoration and aiding in wildlife conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sandra M Rehan
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Canada.
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5
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Chesters D, Liu X, Bell KL, Orr MC, Xie T, Zhou Q, Zhu C. An integrative bioinformatics pipeline shows that honeybee-associated microbiomes are driven primarily by pollen composition. INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 30:555-568. [PMID: 36001735 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The microbiomes associated with bee nests influence colony health through various mechanisms, although it is not yet clear how honeybee congeners differ in microbiome assembly processes, in particular the degrees to which floral visitations and the environment contribute to different aspects of diversity. We used DNA metabarcoding to sequence bacterial 16S rRNA from honey and stored pollen from nests of 4 honeybee species (Apis cerana, A. dorsata, A. florea, and A. laboriosa) sampled throughout Yunnan, China, a global biodiversity hotspot. We developed a computational pipeline integrating multiple databases for quantifying key facets of diversity, including compositional, taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional ones. Further, we assessed candidate drivers of observed microbiome dissimilarity, particularly differences in floral visitations, habitat disturbance, and other key environmental variables. Analyses revealed that microbiome alpha diversity was broadly equivalent across the study sites and between bee species, apart from functional diversity which was very low in nests of the reclusive A. laboriosa. Turnover in microbiome composition across Yunnan was driven predominantly by pollen composition. Human disturbance negatively impacted both compositional and phylogenetic alpha diversity of nest microbiomes, but did not correlate with microbial turnover. We herein make progress in understanding microbiome diversity associated with key pollinators in a biodiversity hotspot, and provide a model for the use of a comprehensive informatics framework in assessing pattern and drivers of diversity, which enables the inclusion of explanatory variables both subtly and fundamentally different and enables elucidation of emergent or unexpected drivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas Chesters
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- International College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiuwei Liu
- Institute of Agro-Products Processing, Yunnan Province Academy of Agricultural Science, Kunming, China
| | - Karen L Bell
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
- CSIRO Health & Biosecurity, Floreat, WA, Australia
| | - Michael C Orr
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- International College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Tingting Xie
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui Province, China
| | - Qingsong Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chaodong Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- International College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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6
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Guo B, Tang J, Ding G, Mashilingi SK, Huang J, An J. Gut microbiota is a potential factor in shaping phenotypic variation in larvae and adults of female bumble bees. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1117077. [PMID: 36937270 PMCID: PMC10014921 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1117077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Host symbionts are often considered an essential part of the host phenotype, influencing host growth and development. Bumble bee is an ideal model for investigating the relationship between microbiota and phenotypes. Variations in life history across bumble bees may influence the community composition of gut microbiota, which in turn influences phenotypes. In this study, we explored gut microbiota from four development stages (early-instar larvae, 1st instar; mid-instar larvae, 5th instar; late-instar larvae, 9th instar; and adults) of workers and queens in the bumble bee Bombus terrestris using the full-length 16S rRNA sequencing technology. The results showed that morphological indices (weight and head capsule) were significantly different between workers and queens from 5th instar larvae (p < 0.01). The alpha and beta diversities of gut microbiota were similar between workers and queens in two groups: early instar and mid instar larvae. However, the alpha diversity was significantly different in late instar larvae or adults. The relative abundance of three main phyla of bacteria (Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Firmicutes) and two genera (Snodgrassella and Lactobacillus) were significantly different (p < 0.01) between workers and queens in late instar larvae or adults. Also, we found that age significantly affected the microbial alpha diversity as the Shannon and ASVs indices differed significantly among the four development stages. Our study suggests that the 5th instar larval stage can be used to judge the morphology of workers or queens in bumble bees. The key microbes differing in phenotypes may be involved in regulating phenotypic variations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baodi Guo
- Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jiao Tang
- Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Guiling Ding
- Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shibonage K. Mashilingi
- Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Crop Sciences and Beekeeping Technology, College of Agriculture and Food Technology, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Jiaxing Huang
- Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jiandong An
- Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Jiandong An,
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7
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Kline O, Phan NT, Porras MF, Chavana J, Little CZ, Stemet L, Acharya RS, Biddinger DJ, Reddy GVP, Rajotte EG, Joshi NK. Biology, Genetic Diversity, and Conservation of Wild Bees in Tree Fruit Orchards. BIOLOGY 2022; 12:31. [PMID: 36671724 PMCID: PMC9854918 DOI: 10.3390/biology12010031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Different species of bees provide essential ecosystem services by pollinating various agricultural crops, including tree fruits. Many fruits and nuts depend on insect pollination, primarily by wild and managed bees. In different geographical regions where orchard crops are grown, fruit growers rely on wild bees in the farmscape and use orchard bees as alternative pollinators. Orchard crops such as apples, pears, plums, apricots, etc., are mass-flowering crops and attract many different bee species during their bloom period. Many bee species found in orchards emerge from overwintering as the fruit trees start flowering in spring, and the active duration of these bees aligns very closely with the blooming time of fruit trees. In addition, most of the bees in orchards are short-range foragers and tend to stay close to the fruit crops. However, the importance of orchard bee communities is not well understood, and many challenges in maintaining their populations remain. This comprehensive review paper summarizes the different types of bees commonly found in tree fruit orchards in the fruit-growing regions of the United States, their bio-ecology, and genetic diversity. Additionally, recommendations for the management of orchard bees, different strategies for protecting them from multiple stressors, and providing suitable on-farm nesting and floral resource habitats for propagation and conservation are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Kline
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - Ngoc T. Phan
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
- Research Center for Tropical Bees and Beekeeping, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Gia Lam, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
| | - Mitzy F. Porras
- Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Joshua Chavana
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - Coleman Z. Little
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR 72035, USA
| | - Lilia Stemet
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - Roshani S. Acharya
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - David J. Biddinger
- Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Penn State Fruit Research and Extension Center, Biglerville, PA 17307, USA
| | - Gadi V. P. Reddy
- USDA-ARS-Southern Insect Management Research Unite, 141 Experiment Station Rd., P.O. Box 346, Stoneville, MS 38776, USA
| | - Edwin G. Rajotte
- Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Neelendra K. Joshi
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
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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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Nguyen PN, Rehan SM. The effects of urban land use gradients on wild bee microbiomes. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:992660. [PMID: 36466654 PMCID: PMC9714450 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.992660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Bees and their microbes interact in complex networks in which bees form symbiotic relationships with their bacteria and fungi. Microbial composition and abundance affect bee health through nutrition, immunity, and fitness. In ever-expanding urban landscapes, land use development changes bee habitats and floral resource availability, thus altering the sources of microbes that wild bees need to establish their microbiome. Here, we implement metabarcoding of the bacterial 16S and fungal ITS regions to characterize the diversity and composition of the microbiome in 58 small carpenter bees, Ceratina calcarata, across urban land use gradients (study area 6,425 km2). By categorizing land use development, green space, precipitation, and temperature variables as indicators of habitat across the city, we found that land use variables can predict microbial diversity. Microbial composition was also found to vary across urban land use gradients, with certain microbes such as Acinetobacter and Apilactobacillus overrepresented in less urban locations and Penicillium more abundant in developed areas. Environmental features may also lead to differences in microbe interactions, as co-occurrences between bacteria and fungi varied across percent land use development, exemplified by the correlation between Methylobacterium and Sphingomonas being more prevalent in areas of higher urban development. Surrounding landscapes change the microbial landscape in wild bees and alter the relationships they have with their microbiome. As such, urban centres should consider the impact of growing cities on their pollinators' health and protect wild bees from the effects of anthropogenic activities.
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10
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Leonhardt SD, Peters B, Keller A. Do amino and fatty acid profiles of pollen provisions correlate with bacterial microbiomes in the mason bee Osmia bicornis? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210171. [PMID: 35491605 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Bee performance and well-being strongly depend on access to sufficient and appropriate resources, in particular pollen and nectar of flowers, which constitute the major basis of bee nutrition. Pollen-derived microbes appear to play an important but still little explored role in the plant pollen-bee interaction dynamics, e.g. through affecting quantities and ratios of important nutrients. To better understand how microbes in pollen collected by bees may affect larval health through nutrition, we investigated correlations between the floral, bacterial and nutritional composition of larval provisions and the gut bacterial communities of the solitary megachilid bee Osmia bicornis. Our study reveals correlations between the nutritional quality of pollen provisions and the complete bacterial community as well as individual members of both pollen provisions and bee guts. In particular pollen fatty acid profiles appear to interact with specific members of the pollen bacterial community, indicating that pollen-derived bacteria may play an important role in fatty acid provisioning. As increasing evidence suggests a strong effect of dietary fatty acids on bee performance, future work should address how the observed interactions between specific fatty acids and the bacterial community in larval provisions relate to health in O. bicornis. This article is part of the theme issue 'Natural processes influencing pollinator health: from chemistry to landscapes'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Diana Leonhardt
- Plant-Insect Interactions, TUM School of Life Science Systems, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Birte Peters
- Department for Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany.,Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology, University of Würzburg, Emil Fischer Strasse, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Keller
- Cellular and Organismic Networks, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
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11
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Shell WA, Rehan SM. Comparative metagenomics reveals expanded insights into intra- and interspecific variation among wild bee microbiomes. Commun Biol 2022; 5:603. [PMID: 35715496 PMCID: PMC9205906 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03535-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The holobiont approach proposes that species are most fully understood within the context of their associated microbiomes, and that both host and microbial community are locked in a mutual circuit of co-evolutionary selection. Bees are an ideal group for this approach, as they comprise a critical group of pollinators that contribute to both ecological and agricultural health worldwide. Metagenomic analyses offer comprehensive insights into an organism’s microbiome, diet, and viral load, but remain largely unapplied to wild bees. Here, we present metagenomic data from three species of carpenter bees sampled from around the globe, representative of the first ever carpenter bee core microbiome. Machine learning, co-occurrence, and network analyses reveal that wild bee metagenomes are unique to host species. Further, we find that microbiomes are likely strongly affected by features of their local environment, and feature evidence of plant pathogens previously known only in honey bees. Performing the most comprehensive comparative analysis of bee microbiomes to date we discover that microbiome diversity is inversely proportional to host species social complexity. Our study helps to establish some of the first wild bee hologenomic data while offering powerful empirical insights into the biology and health of vital pollinators. Global wild bee metagenomes provide insights into microbiome, sociality and pollinator health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wyatt A Shell
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sandra M Rehan
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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12
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Fitch G, Figueroa LL, Koch H, Stevenson PC, Adler LS. Understanding effects of floral products on bee parasites: Mechanisms, synergism, and ecological complexity. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2022; 17:244-256. [PMID: 35299588 PMCID: PMC8920997 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2022.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Floral nectar and pollen commonly contain diverse secondary metabolites. While these compounds are classically thought to play a role in plant defense, recent research indicates that they may also reduce disease in pollinators. Given that parasites have been implicated in ongoing bee declines, this discovery has spurred interest in the potential for 'medicinal' floral products to aid in pollinator conservation efforts. We review the evidence for antiparasitic effects of floral products on bee diseases, emphasizing the importance of investigating the mechanism underlying antiparasitic effects, including direct or host-mediated effects. We discuss the high specificity of antiparasitic effects of even very similar compounds, and highlight the need to consider how nonadditive effects of multiple compounds, and the post-ingestion transformation of metabolites, mediate the disease-reducing capacity of floral products. While the bulk of research on antiparasitic effects of floral products on bee parasites has been conducted in the lab, we review evidence for the impact of such effects in the field, and highlight areas for future research at the floral product-bee disease interface. Such research has great potential both to enhance our understanding of the role of parasites in shaping plant-bee interactions, and the role of plants in determining bee-parasite dynamics. This understanding may in turn reveal new avenues for pollinator conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordon Fitch
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Laura L. Figueroa
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Hauke Koch
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Green, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AE, UK
| | - Philip C. Stevenson
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Green, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AE, UK
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK
| | - Lynn S. Adler
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
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13
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Dharampal PS, Danforth BN, Steffan SA. Exosymbiotic microbes within fermented pollen provisions are as important for the development of solitary bees as the pollen itself. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8788. [PMID: 35414891 PMCID: PMC8986510 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Developing bees derive significant benefits from the microbes present within their guts and fermenting pollen provisions. External microbial symbionts (exosymbionts) associated with larval diets may be particularly important for solitary bees that suffer reduced fitness when denied microbe-colonized pollen.To investigate whether this phenomenon is generalizable across foraging strategy, we examined the effects of exosymbiont presence/absence across two solitary bee species, a pollen specialist and generalist. Larvae from each species were reared on either microbe-rich natural or microbe-deficient sterilized pollen provisions allocated by a female forager belonging to their own species (conspecific-sourced pollen) or that of another species (heterospecific-sourced pollen). Our results reveal that the presence of pollen-associated microbes was critical for the survival of both the generalist and specialist larvae, regardless of whether the pollen was sourced from a conspecific or heterospecific forager.Given the positive effects of exosymbiotic microbes for larval fitness, we then examined if the magnitude of this benefit varied based on whether the microbes were provisioned by a conspecific forager (the mother bee) or a heterospecific forager. In this second study, generalist larvae were reared only on microbe-rich pollen provisions, but importantly, the sources (conspecific versus heterospecific) of the microbes and pollen were experimentally manipulated.Bee fitness metrics indicated that microbial and pollen sourcing both had significant impacts on larval performance, and the effect sizes of each were similar. Moreover, the effects of conspecific-sourced microbes and conspecific-sourced pollen were strongly positive, while that of heterospecific-sourced microbes and heterospecific-sourced pollen, strongly negative.Our findings imply that not only is the presence of exosymbionts critical for both specialist and generalist solitary bees, but more notably, that the composition of the specific microbial community within larval pollen provisions may be as critical for bee development as the composition of the pollen itself.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Shawn A. Steffan
- Department of EntomologyUniversity of WisconsinMadisonWisconsinUSA
- USDA‐ARSVegetable Crops Research UnitMadisonWisconsinUSA
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14
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Hotchkiss MZ, Poulain AJ, Forrest JRK. Pesticide-induced disturbances of bee gut microbiotas. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2022; 46:6517452. [PMID: 35107129 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuab056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Social bee gut microbiotas play key roles in host health and performance. Worryingly, a growing body of literature shows that pesticide exposure can disturb these microbiotas. Most studies examine changes in taxonomic composition in Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) gut microbiotas caused by insecticide exposure. Core bee gut microbiota taxa shift in abundance after exposure but are rarely eliminated, with declines in Bifidobacteriales and Lactobacillus near melliventris abundance being the most common shifts. Pesticide concentration, exposure duration, season and concurrent stressors all influence whether and how bee gut microbiotas are disturbed. Also, the mechanism of disturbance-i.e. whether a pesticide directly affects microbial growth or indirectly affects the microbiota by altering host health-likely affects disturbance consistency. Despite growing interest in this topic, important questions remain unanswered. Specifically, metabolic shifts in bee gut microbiotas remain largely uninvestigated, as do effects of pesticide-disturbed gut microbiotas on bee host performance. Furthermore, few bee species have been studied other than A. mellifera, and few herbicides and fungicides have been examined. We call for these knowledge gaps to be addressed so that we may obtain a comprehensive picture of how pesticides alter bee gut microbiotas, and of the functional consequences of these changes.
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Keller A, McFrederick QS, Dharampal P, Steffan S, Danforth BN, Leonhardt SD. (More than) Hitchhikers through the network: the shared microbiome of bees and flowers. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 44:8-15. [PMID: 32992041 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2020.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Growing evidence reveals strong overlap between microbiomes of flowers and bees, suggesting that flowers are hubs of microbial transmission. Whether floral transmission is the main driver of bee microbiome assembly, and whether functional importance of florally sourced microbes shapes bee foraging decisions are intriguing questions that remain unanswered. We suggest that interaction network properties, such as nestedness, connectedness, and modularity, as well as specialization patterns can predict potential transmission routes of microbes between hosts. Yet microbial filtering by plant and bee hosts determines realized microbial niches. Functionally, shared floral microbes can provide benefits for bees by enhancing nutritional quality, detoxification, and disintegration of pollen. Flower microbes can also alter the attractiveness of floral resources. Together, these mechanisms may affect the structure of the flower-bee interaction network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Keller
- Department of Bioinformatics, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074, Würzburg, Germany; Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Quinn S McFrederick
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92501, USA
| | - Prarthana Dharampal
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Shawn Steffan
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; USDA-ARS, Vegetable Crops Research Unit, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Bryan N Danforth
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Sara D Leonhardt
- Department of Life Science Systems, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
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Gaube P, Junker RR, Keller A. Changes amid constancy: Flower and leaf microbiomes along land use gradients and between bioregions. Basic Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2020.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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17
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Vannette RL. The Floral Microbiome: Plant, Pollinator, and Microbial Perspectives. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2020. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-011720-013401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Flowers at times host abundant and specialized communities of bacteria and fungi that influence floral phenotypes and interactions with pollinators. Ecological processes drive variation in microbial abundance and composition at multiple scales, including among plant species, among flower tissues, and among flowers on the same plant. Variation in microbial effects on floral phenotype suggests that microbial metabolites could cue the presence or quality of rewards for pollinators, but most plants are unlikely to rely on microbes for pollinator attraction or reproduction. From a microbial perspective, flowers offer opportunities to disperse between habitats, but microbial species differ in requirements for and benefits received from such dispersal. The extent to which floral microbes shape the evolution of floral traits, influence fitness of floral visitors, and respond to anthropogenic change is unclear. A deeper understanding of these phenomena could illuminate the ecological and evolutionary importance of floral microbiomes and their role in the conservation of plant–pollinator interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel L. Vannette
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
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