Department of Animal Diversity and Resources, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria.
Department of Ecosystem Research, Environmental Risk Assessment and Conservation Biology, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria.
Bull Entomol Res. 2023 Oct;113(5):693-702. doi: 10.1017/S0007485323000378. Epub 2023 Aug 7.
The honey bee is associated with a diverse community of microbes (viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protists), commonly known as the microbiome. Here, we present data on honey bee microbiota from two localities having different surrounding landscapes - mountain (the Rhodope Mountains) and lowland (the Danube plain). The bacterial communities of abdomen of adult bees were studied using amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The composition and dominance structure and their variability within and between localities, alpha and beta diversity, and core and differential taxa were compared at different hierarchical levels (operational taxonomic units to phylum). Seven genera (, , , , , , and ), known to include core gut-associated phylotypes or species clusters, dominated (92-100%) the bacterial assemblages. Significant variations were found in taxa distribution across both geographical regions and within each apiary. (Firmicutes) prevailed significantly in the mountain locality followed by and (Proteobacteria). Bacteria of four genera, core ( and ) and non-core ( and ), dominated the bee-associated assemblages of the Danube plain locality. Several ubiquitous bacterial genera (e.g., , , and ), some species known also as potential and opportunistic bee pathogens, had been found in the lowland locality. Beta diversity analyses confirmed the observed differences in the bacterial communities from both localities. The occurrence of non-core taxa contributes substantially to higher microbial richness and diversity in bees from the Danube plain locality. We assume that the observed differences in the microbiota of honey bees from both apiaries are due to a combination of factors specific for each region. The surrounding landscape features of both localities and related vegetation, anthropogenic impact and land use intensity, the beekeeping management practices, and bee health status might all contribute to observed differences in bee microbiota traits.
蜜蜂与多样化的微生物群落（病毒、细菌、真菌和原生动物）相关联，通常被称为微生物组。在这里，我们提供了来自两个具有不同周围景观的地点（山区（罗多彼山脉）和低地（多瑙河平原））的蜜蜂微生物组数据。使用 16S rRNA 基因的扩增子测序研究了成年蜜蜂腹部的细菌群落。在不同的层次结构（操作分类单位到门）上比较了细菌群落的组成、优势结构及其在地点内和地点间的变异性、α和β多样性以及核心和差异分类群。已知包括核心肠道相关型或物种群的七个属（、、、、、和）主导（92-100%）细菌组合。在两个地理区域和每个蜂场中都发现了分类群分布的显著变化。（厚壁菌门）在山区显著占优势，其次是和（变形菌门）。四个属的细菌，核心（和）和非核心（和），在多瑙河平原地点主导着与蜜蜂相关的组合。在低地地点发现了一些普遍存在的细菌属（例如、、和），其中一些物种也被认为是潜在的和机会性的蜜蜂病原体。β多样性分析证实了两个地点的细菌群落存在差异。非核心分类群的出现对多瑙河平原地区蜜蜂的微生物丰富度和多样性有很大贡献。我们假设两个蜂场的蜜蜂微生物组存在差异是由于每个地区特定因素的综合作用。两个地点的周围景观特征及其相关植被、人为影响和土地利用强度、养蜂管理实践以及蜜蜂的健康状况都可能导致蜜蜂微生物组特征的差异。
