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非常重要的媒介，主要是通过它们不可通约的授粉服务。然而，最近的研究表明，不仅蜜蜂的数量决定了生态系统的益处，而且维持有效授粉还需要多种传粉者。由于独蜂作为多种有效的传粉者对自然植物和栽培植物的整体授粉有很大贡献，因此了解它们在招收后代方面的有效性是本研究的高度兴趣和目标。我们的目标是识别不同景观中几种蜜蜂的自然微生物区系，将其与重要的生态因素及其在不同筑巢材料中的来源联系起来。此外，还将对患病和死亡的独居蜜蜂幼虫中发现的微生物进行全面的病理学调查。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，并在标准化设置下调查幼虫不同发育阶段的微生物区系。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。这是通过监测真菌生长/抑制以及在存在从孵化室分离和培养的细菌的情况下花粉组成和释放的营养变化的生物测试来完成的。此外，我们将通过鸟枪测序来调查检测呈阳性的细菌的基因组特性。这些结果将与已知的发酵能力，即乳酸菌，以及膜翅目中的抗真菌活性，如链霉菌，进行比较，并研究共享的基因和途径。这些结果的综合解释将在很大程度上有助于我们对孤立蜜蜂的发育与微生物相互作用的一般理解。

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.