Microbial Diversity Associated with the Pollen Stores of Captive-Bred Bumble Bee Colonies
The pollen stores of bumble bees host diverse microbiota that influence overall colony fitness. Yet, the taxonomic identity of these symbiotic microbes is relatively unknown. In this descriptive study, we characterized the microbial community of pollen provisions within captive-bred bumble bee hives...
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doaj-672876e93b7343368324c00e5b4995d22020-11-25T03:28:31ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502020-04-011125025010.3390/insects11040250Microbial Diversity Associated with the Pollen Stores of Captive-Bred Bumble Bee ColoniesPrarthana S. Dharampal0Luis Diaz-Garcia1Max A. B. Haase2Juan Zalapa3Cameron R. Currie4Chris Todd Hittinger5Shawn A. Steffan6Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USADepartment of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USALaboratory of Genetics, Genome Center of Wisconsin, DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Wisconsin Energy Institute, J. F. Crow Institute for the Study of Evolution, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USADepartment of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USADepartment of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USALaboratory of Genetics, Genome Center of Wisconsin, DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Wisconsin Energy Institute, J. F. Crow Institute for the Study of Evolution, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USADepartment of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USAThe pollen stores of bumble bees host diverse microbiota that influence overall colony fitness. Yet, the taxonomic identity of these symbiotic microbes is relatively unknown. In this descriptive study, we characterized the microbial community of pollen provisions within captive-bred bumble bee hives obtained from two commercial suppliers located in North America. Findings from 16S rRNA and ITS gene-based analyses revealed that pollen provisions from the captive-bred hives shared several microbial taxa that have been previously detected among wild populations. While diverse microbes across phyla Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Ascomycota were detected in all commercial hives, significant differences were detected at finer-scale taxonomic resolution based on the supplier source. The causative agent of chalkbrood disease in honey bees, <i>Ascosphaera apis</i>, was detected in all hives obtained from one supplier source, although none of the hives showed symptoms of infection. The shared core microbiota across both commercial supplier sources consisted of two ubiquitous bee-associated groups, <i>Lactobacillus</i> and <i>Wickerhamiella/Starmerella</i> clade yeasts that potentially contribute to the beneficial function of the microbiome of bumble bee pollen provisions.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/11/4/250microbiomebee–microbe symbiosespollen provisions16S rRNA geneITS gene |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Prarthana S. Dharampal Luis Diaz-Garcia Max A. B. Haase Juan Zalapa Cameron R. Currie Chris Todd Hittinger Shawn A. Steffan |
spellingShingle |
Prarthana S. Dharampal Luis Diaz-Garcia Max A. B. Haase Juan Zalapa Cameron R. Currie Chris Todd Hittinger Shawn A. Steffan Microbial Diversity Associated with the Pollen Stores of Captive-Bred Bumble Bee Colonies Insects microbiome bee–microbe symbioses pollen provisions 16S rRNA gene ITS gene |
author_facet |
Prarthana S. Dharampal Luis Diaz-Garcia Max A. B. Haase Juan Zalapa Cameron R. Currie Chris Todd Hittinger Shawn A. Steffan |
author_sort |
Prarthana S. Dharampal |
title |
Microbial Diversity Associated with the Pollen Stores of Captive-Bred Bumble Bee Colonies |
title_short |
Microbial Diversity Associated with the Pollen Stores of Captive-Bred Bumble Bee Colonies |
title_full |
Microbial Diversity Associated with the Pollen Stores of Captive-Bred Bumble Bee Colonies |
title_fullStr |
Microbial Diversity Associated with the Pollen Stores of Captive-Bred Bumble Bee Colonies |
title_full_unstemmed |
Microbial Diversity Associated with the Pollen Stores of Captive-Bred Bumble Bee Colonies |
title_sort |
microbial diversity associated with the pollen stores of captive-bred bumble bee colonies |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Insects |
issn |
2075-4450 |
publishDate |
2020-04-01 |
description |
The pollen stores of bumble bees host diverse microbiota that influence overall colony fitness. Yet, the taxonomic identity of these symbiotic microbes is relatively unknown. In this descriptive study, we characterized the microbial community of pollen provisions within captive-bred bumble bee hives obtained from two commercial suppliers located in North America. Findings from 16S rRNA and ITS gene-based analyses revealed that pollen provisions from the captive-bred hives shared several microbial taxa that have been previously detected among wild populations. While diverse microbes across phyla Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Ascomycota were detected in all commercial hives, significant differences were detected at finer-scale taxonomic resolution based on the supplier source. The causative agent of chalkbrood disease in honey bees, <i>Ascosphaera apis</i>, was detected in all hives obtained from one supplier source, although none of the hives showed symptoms of infection. The shared core microbiota across both commercial supplier sources consisted of two ubiquitous bee-associated groups, <i>Lactobacillus</i> and <i>Wickerhamiella/Starmerella</i> clade yeasts that potentially contribute to the beneficial function of the microbiome of bumble bee pollen provisions. |
topic |
microbiome bee–microbe symbioses pollen provisions 16S rRNA gene ITS gene |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/11/4/250 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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