Comparison of Gut Microbiota in Overwintering Bees: <i>Apis cerana</i> vs. <i>Apis mellifera</i>
Bees play important roles in socio-economic development, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem stability. However, during the cold season, resources become limited, leading to significant losses in bee colonies. Although many studies have described the characteristics of winter bees and demonstra...
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2024-11-01
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| author | Heng Chen Lijiao Gao Jialin Liu Conghui Ji Xiaoqun Dang Zeyang Zhou Wenhua Luo |
| author_facet | Heng Chen Lijiao Gao Jialin Liu Conghui Ji Xiaoqun Dang Zeyang Zhou Wenhua Luo |
| author_sort | Heng Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Bees play important roles in socio-economic development, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem stability. However, during the cold season, resources become limited, leading to significant losses in bee colonies. Although many studies have described the characteristics of winter bees and demonstrated that notable changes occur in their gut microflora, the underlying mechanisms remain yet to be fully elucidated. Therefore, this study was conducted to compare the gut microbiota dynamics of overwintering bees. Sample acquisition involved randomly selecting ten colonies each from three bee farms containing <i>Apis cerana</i> (AC) and <i>Apis mellifera</i> (AM), followed by dissection for further analysis. DNA was extracted, and 16S rDNA sequencing, along with various bioinformatics tools, was used to assess microbial diversity, functional differences, and species comparisons between AC and AM gut microbiota. AC exhibited lower β diversity in the gut microbiota than AM during winter. Moreover, <i>Gilliamella</i> and <i>Apibacter</i> were relatively more abundant in AC. Regarding microbial functions, key pathways included the phosphotransferase system, galactose metabolism, the pentose phosphate pathway, and carbohydrate transport and metabolism. These results suggest the presence of microbial diversity differences between AC and AM, with the differential microbial functions mainly enriched in metabolic pathways that facilitate adaptation to cold environmental stress. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-17b0d305b39443f68e89b1dc05326a33 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2036-7481 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Microbiology Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-17b0d305b39443f68e89b1dc05326a332024-12-27T14:40:29ZengMDPI AGMicrobiology Research2036-74812024-11-011542425243410.3390/microbiolres15040163Comparison of Gut Microbiota in Overwintering Bees: <i>Apis cerana</i> vs. <i>Apis mellifera</i>Heng Chen0Lijiao Gao1Jialin Liu2Conghui Ji3Xiaoqun Dang4Zeyang Zhou5Wenhua Luo6Institute of Economic Zoology, Chongqing Academy of Animal Sciences, Chongqing 402460, ChinaInstitute of Economic Zoology, Chongqing Academy of Animal Sciences, Chongqing 402460, ChinaInstitute of Economic Zoology, Chongqing Academy of Animal Sciences, Chongqing 402460, ChinaInstitute of Economic Zoology, Chongqing Academy of Animal Sciences, Chongqing 402460, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, ChinaInstitute of Economic Zoology, Chongqing Academy of Animal Sciences, Chongqing 402460, ChinaBees play important roles in socio-economic development, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem stability. However, during the cold season, resources become limited, leading to significant losses in bee colonies. Although many studies have described the characteristics of winter bees and demonstrated that notable changes occur in their gut microflora, the underlying mechanisms remain yet to be fully elucidated. Therefore, this study was conducted to compare the gut microbiota dynamics of overwintering bees. Sample acquisition involved randomly selecting ten colonies each from three bee farms containing <i>Apis cerana</i> (AC) and <i>Apis mellifera</i> (AM), followed by dissection for further analysis. DNA was extracted, and 16S rDNA sequencing, along with various bioinformatics tools, was used to assess microbial diversity, functional differences, and species comparisons between AC and AM gut microbiota. AC exhibited lower β diversity in the gut microbiota than AM during winter. Moreover, <i>Gilliamella</i> and <i>Apibacter</i> were relatively more abundant in AC. Regarding microbial functions, key pathways included the phosphotransferase system, galactose metabolism, the pentose phosphate pathway, and carbohydrate transport and metabolism. These results suggest the presence of microbial diversity differences between AC and AM, with the differential microbial functions mainly enriched in metabolic pathways that facilitate adaptation to cold environmental stress.https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7481/15/4/163<i>Apis cerana</i><i>Apis mellifera</i>gut microbiota |
| spellingShingle | Heng Chen Lijiao Gao Jialin Liu Conghui Ji Xiaoqun Dang Zeyang Zhou Wenhua Luo Comparison of Gut Microbiota in Overwintering Bees: <i>Apis cerana</i> vs. <i>Apis mellifera</i> Microbiology Research <i>Apis cerana</i> <i>Apis mellifera</i> gut microbiota |
| title | Comparison of Gut Microbiota in Overwintering Bees: <i>Apis cerana</i> vs. <i>Apis mellifera</i> |
| title_full | Comparison of Gut Microbiota in Overwintering Bees: <i>Apis cerana</i> vs. <i>Apis mellifera</i> |
| title_fullStr | Comparison of Gut Microbiota in Overwintering Bees: <i>Apis cerana</i> vs. <i>Apis mellifera</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparison of Gut Microbiota in Overwintering Bees: <i>Apis cerana</i> vs. <i>Apis mellifera</i> |
| title_short | Comparison of Gut Microbiota in Overwintering Bees: <i>Apis cerana</i> vs. <i>Apis mellifera</i> |
| title_sort | comparison of gut microbiota in overwintering bees i apis cerana i vs i apis mellifera i |
| topic | <i>Apis cerana</i> <i>Apis mellifera</i> gut microbiota |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7481/15/4/163 |
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