Tristao Santini Amanda, Cerqueira Alan Emanuel Silva, Moran Nancy A, Resende Helder Canto, Santana Weyder Cristiano, de Paula Sergio Oliveira, da Silva Cynthia Canedo
Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, MG 36570-900, Brazil.
Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
bioRxiv. 2025 Jun 4:2025.06.03.657762. doi: 10.1101/2025.06.03.657762.
The gut microbiome of eusocial corbiculate bees, which include honeybees, bumblebees, and stingless bees, consists of anciently associated, host-specific bacteria that are vital for bee health. Two symbionts, and , are ubiquitous in honeybees and bumblebees. However, their presence varies in the stingless bee clade (Meliponini), a group with pantropical distribution. They are absent or rare in the diverse genus , indicating a shift in microbiota composition in this lineage. To identify the main members of the microbiota, we combined newly collected and published data from field-collected individuals of several species. Additionally, we identified the localization of the dominant microbiota members within the gut regions of . The dominant microbiota of species includes members of the genera , , , , and . Among these, and dominate in the crop, whereas and other members of the Lactobacillaceae dominate the ventriculus. The ileum lacks or but contains a putative new symbiont close to , as well as strains of , Lactobacillaceae (including ), and . The rectum is dominated by and . In summary, the microbiota is compositionally distinct but shows spatial organization paralleling that of other eusocial corbiculate bees.
群居的携粉蜜蜂（包括蜜蜂、熊蜂和无刺蜂）的肠道微生物群由古老关联的、宿主特异性细菌组成，这些细菌对蜜蜂健康至关重要。两种共生菌， 和 ，在蜜蜂和熊蜂中普遍存在。然而，它们在无刺蜂分支（无刺蜂族）中的存在情况有所不同，该分支分布于泛热带地区。它们在多样的 属中不存在或很罕见，这表明该谱系中微生物群组成发生了变化。为了确定 微生物群的主要成员，我们整合了新收集的以及已发表的来自几种野外采集物种个体的数据。此外，我们确定了 肠道区域内主要微生物群成员的定位。 物种的主要微生物群包括 属、 属、 属、 属和 属的成员。其中， 和 在嗉囊中占主导，而 属的 和其他成员在胃中占主导。回肠中没有 或 ，但含有一种与 接近的假定新共生菌，以及 属、乳酸杆菌科（包括 属）和 属的菌株。直肠中以 和 为主。总之， 微生物群在组成上是不同的，但显示出与其他群居携粉蜜蜂相似的空间组织。
