Unraveling solitary bee microbiota: ecology, importance during development and function

蜜蜂被认为是生态网络和农业系统的重要媒介，主要是通过其不可替代的授粉服务。然而，正如最近的研究所表明的那样，不仅蜜蜂的丰富性可以调节生态系统的效益，而且还需要多样性的传粉媒介来维持有效的传粉。由于单性蜜蜂作为多样而有效的传粉者，在很大程度上有助于自然和栽培植物的整体授粉，因此本研究的目的是了解它们在招募后代方面的有效性。我们的目的是确定来自不同景观的几种蜜蜂的自然微生物群，将其与重要的生态因素及其在不同筑巢材料中的起源联系起来。这将补充一个全面的病理学调查的微生物病原体发现患病和死亡的孤蜂幼虫。此外，我们将通过抗生素物质进行细菌抑制的实验测试。我们的目标是确定蜜蜂生存能力的变化，并在标准化的设置内调查幼虫不同发育阶段的微生物群。最后，我们将详细分析细菌在发酵过程中的重要性和抗真菌活性。这是通过生物测定来完成的，生物测定监测真菌生长/抑制以及花粉构成的变化，并在从育室分离和培养的细菌存在下释放营养物质。此外，我们将通过鸟枪测序研究显示阳性检测的细菌的基因组特性。这些将被比较那些已知的发酵能力，即乳酸菌，和抗真菌活性在Hyplettera，如链霉菌，并研究共享的基因和pathways.这些结果的综合解释将在很大程度上有助于我们的一般理解孤立的蜜蜂发展与微生物的相互作用。

Bees are considered to be very important agents for ecological networks and agricultural systems, mostly through their incommensurable pollination services. As recent studies demonstrated, it is however not only the abundance of bees that regulates ecosystem benefits, but also a diversity of pollinators is required to maintain effective pollination. As solitary bees contribute largely to overall pollination of natural and cultivated plants as diverse and effective pollinators, it is of high interest and goal of this study to gain knowledge about their effectiveness in recruiting offspringWe aim to identify natural microbiota of several bee species from different landscapes, relating it to ecological factors of importance and their origin in different nesting materials. This will be supplemented with a comprehensive pathological investigation of microbial agents found in diseased and dead solitary bee larvae. Further, we will apply experimental tests with bacterial suppression through antibiotic substances. We aim to identify changes in bee survivability and investigate the microbiota at different developmental stages of the larvae within a standardized setup. Lastly, we will analyse in detail the importance of bacteria in fermentation processes and antifungal activity. This is done by bioassays that monitor fungal growth/repression as well as changes in the pollen constitution and released nutrients in presence of bacteria isolated and cultivated from brood chambers. Further, we will investigate through shotgun sequencing the genomic properties of bacteria that show positive assays. These will be compared to those of known fermentation capabilities, i.e. lactic acid bacteria, and antifungal activity in Hymenoptera, e.g. Streptomyces, and studied for shared genes and pathways.The combined interpretation of these results will largely contribute to our general understanding of solitary bee development in relation to microbiotic interactions.