Abstract:
Stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponini) are the most diverse group of corbiculate bees and are
important managed and wild pollinators distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the
globe. However, little is known about their associated beneficial microbes that play major roles in host
nutrition, detoxification, growth, activation of immune responses, and protection against pathogens
in their sister groups, honeybees and bumble bees. Here, we provide an initial characterization of
the gut bacterial microbiota of eight stingless bee species from sub-Saharan Africa using 16S rRNA
amplicon sequencing. Our findings revealed that Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria were
the dominant and conserved phyla across the eight stingless bee species. Additionally, we found
significant geographical and host intra-species-specific bacterial diversity. Notably, African strains
showed significant phylogenetic clustering when compared with strains from other continents, and
each stingless bee species has its own microbial composition with its own dominant bacterial genus.
Our results suggest host selective mechanisms maintain distinct gut communities among sympatric
species and thus constitute an important resource for future studies on bee health management and
host-microbe co-evolution and adaptation.
