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Rearing and foraging affects bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) gut microbiota
Lindsay K Newbold1, Anna E Oliver1, Leah Cuthbertson1
1NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, OX10 8BB, UK.
Environmental Microbiology Reports
|May 22, 2015
Summary
Bumblebee gut bacteria communities differ based on foraging environments. Exposure to diverse food sources through outdoor foraging alters bacterial diversity in commercially reared bumblebees (Bombus terrestris).
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Microbiology
- Entomology
Background:
- Bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) are crucial pollinators for crops and wild plants.
- Their gut microbiota, though low in diversity, impacts nutrition, immunity, and overall health.
- Environmental factors influencing bumblebee gut bacterial communities remain largely unstudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how different rearing and foraging environments affect the gut microbiota of Bombus terrestris workers.
- To determine if bacterial community structure varies between commercially reared bees with restricted foraging, commercially reared bees with outdoor foraging, and wild-caught bees.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of gut microbiota composition in three groups of Bombus terrestris workers: restricted-reared (RR), outdoor-foraged (RF), and wild-caught (W).
- Comparison of bacterial community structures, focusing on operational taxonomic unit (OTU) abundances and diversity.
- Correlation of observed microbial differences with foraging behaviors and potential dietary variations.
Main Results:
- Contrary to previous findings of conserved bacterial communities, RF individuals exhibited an intermediate gut microbial structure compared to RR and W groups.
- Differences in microbial structure were linked to variations in the abundance of common OTUs and the diversity of rare OTUs.
- The observed changes suggest that increased dietary carbohydrate variety from outdoor foraging influences gut bacterial composition.
Conclusions:
- Foraging environment significantly shapes the gut microbiota of Bombus terrestris.
- Commercial rearing practices and foraging behaviors can lead to distinct gut microbial profiles.
- Dietary diversity, particularly carbohydrate sources, is a key driver of gut bacterial community structure in bumblebees.
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