Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa) Harbor a Distinctive Gut Microbiome Related to That of Honey Bees and Bumble Bees.

ABSTRACT: Eusocial corbiculate bees, including bumble bees and honey bees, maintain a socially transmitted core gut microbiome that contributes to digestion and pathogen defense. In contrast, solitary bees, which have fewer opportunities for direct interhost transmission, typically have less consistent microbiomes dominated by bacteria associated with pollen and food reserves. Carpenter bees (genus Xylocopa) are long-lived bees that are not eusocial but that often live in shared nesting sites. We characterized gut microbiomes for Xylocopa micans, X. mexicanorum, X. tabaniformis parkinsoniae, and X. virginica and for five solitary bee species from other genera (Andrena, Habropoda, Megachile, and Svastra), sampled in the same localities in

SUBMITTER: Holley JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9275229 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature