Abstract
The gut microbiota plays a key role in the development and health of bumble bees. Male bees are important for the reproductive activity of a colony, yet there are few studies on their gut microbiota. By using qPCR, we found that significant changes in total bacteria and six important bacteria genera from different developmental age points in males. And we compare the gut bacteria of male bees with workers. The results indicate that Gilliamella, Snodgrassella, and Lactobacillus are the dominant gut bacteria in male bees, which is consistent with the previous studies in worker bees, however, there are more total bacteria in male bees. Another gut bacteria genus, Bacillus may be a probiotic bacteria for reproduction in male bees, although the possible function of these bacteria require further study. This research can provide insight into the relationship between the bacterial community and the physiological health and reproductive capacity of male bumble bees.
Highlights
Bumble bees are important pollinators and play a key role in maintaining ecological balance and plant diversity (Williams et al, 2009)
The total bacterial copies and the single bacterial genera of Gilliamella, Snodgrassella Lactobacillus, Bacillus, Pesudomonas, and Lactococcus were detected in unmated males over a period of 1-25 days (Figure 1)
The results show that Gilliamella, Snodgrassella and Lactobacillus are the core bacterial in the gut of male bees
Summary
Bumble bees are important pollinators and play a key role in maintaining ecological balance and plant diversity (Williams et al, 2009). The members of the colony are divided into three different castes, each with specialized duties: a queen, workers, and males. The workers gather food, care for the young, and clean and defend the nest. Some gut bacteria can generate a probiotic effect for the host assisting the host to digest food, while some cause the host to produce anti-microbial peptides and defend against pathogens in honeybees (Evans et al, 2004; Mattila et al, 2012) there is a relatively simple yet specialized microbiota in bumble bee gut (Koch et al, 2012; Martinson et al, 2011). Studies have shown that Gilliamella, Snodgrassella, and Lactobacillus are the dominant gut bacteria in bumble bee workers, and these bacteria have an important impact on the bumble bee’s development and physiology (Evans et al, 2004). There is a significant difference between the gut jas.ccsenet.org
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