Abstract
Bumblebees (Bombus) are charismatic and important pollinators. They are one of the best-studied insect groups, especially in terms of ecology, behavior, and social structure. As many species are declining, there is a clear need to understand more about them. Microbial symbionts, which can influence many dimensions of animal life, likely have an outsized role in bumblebee biology. Recent research has shown that a conserved set of beneficial gut bacterial symbionts is ubiquitous across bumblebees. These bacteria are related to gut symbionts of honeybees, but have not been studied as intensively. Here, we synthesize studies of bumblebee gut microbiota, highlight major knowledge gaps, and suggest future directions. Several patterns emerge, such as symbiont-host specificity maintained by sociality, frequent symbiont loss from individual bees, symbiont-conferred protection from trypanosomatid parasites, and divergence between bumblebee and honeybee microbiota in several key traits. For many facets of bumblebee–microbe interactions, however, underlying mechanisms and ecological functions remain unclear. Such information is important if we are to understand how bumblebees shape, and are shaped by, their gut microbiota. Bumblebees may prove a useful system for microbiome scientists, providing insights into general principles of host–microbe interactions. We also note how microbiota could influence bumblebee traits and responses to stressors. Finally, we propose that tinkering with the microbiota could be one way to aid bumblebee resilience in the face of global change.
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The dataset used to create Fig. 1 is provided in Table S2. Additional citations used for the literature review are provided in Table S1.
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Acknowledgements
We thank G. Espinosa for contributing one of the micrographs, F. Muth for helpful discussions, K. Hammond for assistance preparing figures, and the reviewers for feedback that improved the manuscript.
Funding
Support was provided by a USDA NIFA Postdoctoral Fellowship to TJH (No. 2018-08156), UT Undergraduate Research Fellowships to EL and ANM, and a NIH Grant to NAM (No. R35GM131738).
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TJH and NAM conceptualized the project; EL contributed to the literature review; ANM contributed to imaging and figures; TJH drafted the manuscript, and EL, ANM, and NAM provided input and critical revisions.
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Imaging used commercial Bombus impatiens, which are not subject to ethical approval requirements.
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Hammer, T.J., Le, E., Martin, A.N. et al. The gut microbiota of bumblebees. Insect. Soc. 68, 287–301 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-021-00837-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-021-00837-1