Symbiotic bacteria and fungi proliferate in diapause and may enhance overwintering survival in a solitary bee.

ABSTRACT: Host-microbe interactions underlie the development and fitness of many macroorganisms, including bees. Whereas many social bees benefit from vertically transmitted gut bacteria, current data suggests that solitary bees, which comprise the vast majority of species diversity within bees, lack a highly specialized gut microbiome. Here, we examine the composition and abundance of bacteria and fungi throughout the complete life cycle of the ground-nesting solitary bee Anthophora bomboides standfordiana. In contrast to expectations, immature bee stages maintain a distinct core microbiome consisting of Actinobacterial genera (Streptomyces, Nocardiodes) and the fungus Moniliella spathulata. Dormant (diapausing) larval bees hosted the most abundant and distinctive bacteria and fungi, attaining 33 a

SUBMITTER: Christensen SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11177884 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature