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Microbial Communities Across Social Roles in Small Carpenter Bee Nests
Phuong N Nguyen1, Sandra M Rehan2
1Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, M3J 1P3, Canada.
Microbial Ecology
|May 8, 2026
Summary
Comparing bee microbiomes reveals social roles impact microbial communities. Whole-body analysis captures more fungal and plant diversity, offering insights into bee foraging and health.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Microbiology
- Genomics
Background:
- Bee microbiota are crucial for host symbiosis, but vary with species, social structure, and environment.
- Understanding how environmental factors shape bee microbiomes is key to bee health and nest ecology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how social roles and foraging behaviors influence the bee microbiome.
- To compare microbial communities (bacteria, fungi, plant DNA) in bees with different social statuses (mothers vs. daughters).
- To evaluate the effectiveness of whole-gut versus whole-body sampling for microbiome analysis.
Main Methods:
- DNA metabarcoding of 16S rRNA (bacteria), ITS (fungi), and rbcL (plant) regions.
- Analysis of mothers and daughters (dwarf eldest and regular) from nests of the small carpenter bee, Ceratina calcarata.
- Comparison of microbial communities from whole-guts and whole-bodies.
Main Results:
- Social role significantly impacted microbial community composition.
- Mothers exhibited higher plant diversity than daughters, particularly in whole-body samples, indicating foraging patterns.
- Whole-body sampling recovered greater fungal and plant diversity than whole-gut sampling.
Conclusions:
- DNA metabarcoding of whole bodies provides a broader view of bee-associated microbes, including environmental encounters.
- Social status influences bee microbiome composition, with implications for microbial transmission within nests.
- Bee microbiome analysis serves as a biomonitor for the health of the wider bee community.
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