Beehives possess their own distinct microbiomes
Abstract Background Honeybees use plant material to manufacture their own food. These insect pollinators visit flowers repeatedly to collect nectar and pollen, which are shared with other hive bees to produce honey and beebread. While producing these products, beehives accumulate a considerable numb...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Microbiome |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-023-00460-6 |
| _version_ | 1828063511210622976 |
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| author | Lorenzo A. Santorelli Toby Wilkinson Ronke Abdulmalik Yuma Rai Christopher J. Creevey Sharon Huws Jorge Gutierrez-Merino |
| author_facet | Lorenzo A. Santorelli Toby Wilkinson Ronke Abdulmalik Yuma Rai Christopher J. Creevey Sharon Huws Jorge Gutierrez-Merino |
| author_sort | Lorenzo A. Santorelli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Honeybees use plant material to manufacture their own food. These insect pollinators visit flowers repeatedly to collect nectar and pollen, which are shared with other hive bees to produce honey and beebread. While producing these products, beehives accumulate a considerable number of microbes, including bacteria that derive from plants and different parts of the honeybees’ body. Whether bacteria form similar communities amongst beehives, even if located in close proximity, is an ecologically important question that has been addressed in this study. Specific ecological factors such as the surrounding environment and the beekeeping methods used can shape the microbiome of the beehive as a whole, and eventually influence the health of the honeybees and their ecosystem. Results We conducted 16S rRNA meta-taxonomic analysis on honey and beebread samples that were collected from 15 apiaries in the southeast of England to quantify the bacteria associated with different beehives. We observed that honeybee products carry a significant variety of bacterial groups that comprise bee commensals, environmental bacteria and symbionts and pathogens of plants and animals. Remarkably, this bacterial diversity differs not only amongst apiaries, but also between the beehives of the same apiary. In particular, the levels of the bee commensals varied significantly, and their fluctuations correlated with the presence of different environmental bacteria and various apiculture practices. Conclusions Our results show that every hive possesses their own distinct microbiome and that this very defined fingerprint is affected by multiple factors such as the nectar and pollen gathered from local plants, the management of the apiaries and the bacterial communities living around the beehives. Based on our findings, we suggest that the microbiome of beehives could be used as a valuable biosensor informing of the health of the honeybees and their surrounding environment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T22:44:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-246ccf16156045ce87910c9128d01dcf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2524-6372 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T22:44:37Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Microbiome |
| spelling | doaj.art-246ccf16156045ce87910c9128d01dcf2023-01-15T12:22:02ZengBMCEnvironmental Microbiome2524-63722023-01-011811910.1186/s40793-023-00460-6Beehives possess their own distinct microbiomesLorenzo A. Santorelli0Toby Wilkinson1Ronke Abdulmalik2Yuma Rai3Christopher J. Creevey4Sharon Huws5Jorge Gutierrez-Merino6School of Biosciences, University of SurreyThe Roslin Institute, University of EdinburghSchool of Biosciences, University of SurreySchool of Biosciences, University of SurreySchool of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University BelfastSchool of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University BelfastSchool of Biosciences, University of SurreyAbstract Background Honeybees use plant material to manufacture their own food. These insect pollinators visit flowers repeatedly to collect nectar and pollen, which are shared with other hive bees to produce honey and beebread. While producing these products, beehives accumulate a considerable number of microbes, including bacteria that derive from plants and different parts of the honeybees’ body. Whether bacteria form similar communities amongst beehives, even if located in close proximity, is an ecologically important question that has been addressed in this study. Specific ecological factors such as the surrounding environment and the beekeeping methods used can shape the microbiome of the beehive as a whole, and eventually influence the health of the honeybees and their ecosystem. Results We conducted 16S rRNA meta-taxonomic analysis on honey and beebread samples that were collected from 15 apiaries in the southeast of England to quantify the bacteria associated with different beehives. We observed that honeybee products carry a significant variety of bacterial groups that comprise bee commensals, environmental bacteria and symbionts and pathogens of plants and animals. Remarkably, this bacterial diversity differs not only amongst apiaries, but also between the beehives of the same apiary. In particular, the levels of the bee commensals varied significantly, and their fluctuations correlated with the presence of different environmental bacteria and various apiculture practices. Conclusions Our results show that every hive possesses their own distinct microbiome and that this very defined fingerprint is affected by multiple factors such as the nectar and pollen gathered from local plants, the management of the apiaries and the bacterial communities living around the beehives. Based on our findings, we suggest that the microbiome of beehives could be used as a valuable biosensor informing of the health of the honeybees and their surrounding environment.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-023-00460-6BeehivesApiaryMicrobiomePollenHoneyHoneybees |
| spellingShingle | Lorenzo A. Santorelli Toby Wilkinson Ronke Abdulmalik Yuma Rai Christopher J. Creevey Sharon Huws Jorge Gutierrez-Merino Beehives possess their own distinct microbiomes Environmental Microbiome Beehives Apiary Microbiome Pollen Honey Honeybees |
| title | Beehives possess their own distinct microbiomes |
| title_full | Beehives possess their own distinct microbiomes |
| title_fullStr | Beehives possess their own distinct microbiomes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Beehives possess their own distinct microbiomes |
| title_short | Beehives possess their own distinct microbiomes |
| title_sort | beehives possess their own distinct microbiomes |
| topic | Beehives Apiary Microbiome Pollen Honey Honeybees |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-023-00460-6 |
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