Anthropogenic effects on gut bacterial community structure in bees: agroecosystems and agricultural pesticides

• Grant number: 24/11122-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Support Program for Fixating Young Doctors
• Start date: July 01, 2024
• End date: June 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Molecular Genetics and Genetics of Microorganisms
• Agreement: CNPq
• Principal Investigator: Mauricio Bacci Junior
• Grantee: Geovanny Soares Pauferro Barroso
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/02132-6 - Anthropogenic effects on gut bacterial communities structure in bees: agroecosystems and agricultural pesticides, AP.R

Abstract

The intestinal microbiota of eusocial bees (Apis and non-Apis) and solitary bees share some bacteria, providing a functional symbiosis. However, each group presents a distinct set of bacteria, presenting specific environmental adaptations. The conversion of native vegetation to agroecosystems likely impacts this adaptive microbiota, while the excessive use of agricultural pesticides, widespread among bees, may affect the functional microbial community. This study aims to investigate these hypotheses, using 16S metabarcoding sequencing to characterize the microbial diversity in the intestine of the honey bee (Apis mellifera) and two species of iron-free bees (Scaptotrigona postica and Tetragonisca angustula, respectively), groups with microbiota that are still unscientific. Bees will be exposed or not to the fungicide mancozeb to assess its impact on the microbial community. Furthermore, they will be collected in areas of native and agricultural vegetation to evaluate the effect of the agroecosystem. The bees Apis mellifera, Scaptotrigona postica and Tetragonística angustula will be used as biological models. Three species of bees will be exposed to the fungicide mancozeb, and its effect on the gut microbiota will be determined. The composition of the gut microbiota of the three species will also be determined for bees collected in areas of native vegetation and in coffee plantations, a crop commonly visited by three model species during a season of abundance. The expected results contribute to the understanding of the effects evaluated on this functional symbiosis between bees and microorganisms, identifying beneficial microorganisms for agriculture, given the importance of these pollinators for agricultural crops.