Hibernation Leads to Altered Gut Communities in Bumblebee Queens (Bombus terrestris).

ABSTRACT: Many reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and insects practice some form of hibernation during which their metabolic rate is drastically reduced. This allows them to conserve energy and survive the harsh winter conditions with little or no food. While it can be expected that a reduction in host metabolism has a substantial influence on the gut microbial community, little is known about the effects of hibernation on the composition of the microbial gut community, especially for insects. In this study, we assessed and compared the bacterial gut community composition within the midgut and ileum of indoor-reared queens of Bombus terrestris before and after an artificial hibernation period of 16 weeks. Deep sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicons and clustering of sequence reads into op

SUBMITTER: Bosmans L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6316087 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature