Landscape-Wide Metabarcoding Shows Interactions Among the Gut Microbiome and Pollen Diversity in the Invasive Bumblebee, Bombus terrestris
(2025) In Ecology and Evolution 15(7).- Abstract
Gut microbial communities can facilitate traits that are essential for invasive species survival in novel environments. Despite the global plethora of invasive social insect species, the role of the gut microbiome in colonisation success under novel dietary and environmental conditions is little known. The introduction of the European buff-tailed bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, to the island of Tasmania (Australia) ~30 years ago is of ecological concern due to its negative impacts on native vegetation and endemic bees. Here, we investigate how the gut microbiota of B. terrestris workers is affected by corbicular pollen diversity and environmental variation across diverse landscapes in an invaded island system. B. terrestris female workers... (More)
Gut microbial communities can facilitate traits that are essential for invasive species survival in novel environments. Despite the global plethora of invasive social insect species, the role of the gut microbiome in colonisation success under novel dietary and environmental conditions is little known. The introduction of the European buff-tailed bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, to the island of Tasmania (Australia) ~30 years ago is of ecological concern due to its negative impacts on native vegetation and endemic bees. Here, we investigate how the gut microbiota of B. terrestris workers is affected by corbicular pollen diversity and environmental variation across diverse landscapes in an invaded island system. B. terrestris female workers were sampled from 19 sites across Tasmania, for which environmental data for seven variables were extracted. Using 16S rRNA and ITS2 metabarcoding on gut samples and foraged pollen, respectively, we examine how the gut microbiota of B. terrestris is influenced by pollen diversity, environmental variables and their interactions. Gut bacterial community composition was significantly predicted by site annual precipitation and the percentage of pasture, which each explained 9% of the variation. Gut bacterial diversity was also explained by precipitation and pasture (40% and 30% of the variation, respectively). Furthermore, a positive interaction between annual precipitation and annual temperature significantly predicted site gut bacterial diversity. The interaction effect of pollen diversity and summer wind velocity was also positively related to gut bacterial diversity. Our findings contribute to understanding how interactions between the local environment and pollen diet affect the bee gut microbiome and thus the health and success of invasive pollinators.
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- author
- Haque, Sabrina ; Gamage, Hasinika K.A.H. ; Kardum Hjort, Cecilia LU ; Ponton, Fleur ; Encinas-Viso, Francisco ; Paulsen, Ian T. and Dudaniec, Rachael Y.
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-07
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Bombus terrestris, bumblebee, environment, gut microbiome, invasive species, metabarcoding, pollen, Tasmania
- in
- Ecology and Evolution
- volume
- 15
- issue
- 7
- article number
- e71717
- publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105009807954
- ISSN
- 2045-7758
- DOI
- 10.1002/ece3.71717
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). Ecology and Evolution published by British Ecological Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
- id
- 7f94745a-d597-45b1-a27c-6ba8d984b5e5
- date added to LUP
- 2025-12-15 16:08:42
- date last changed
- 2025-12-17 16:38:25
@article{7f94745a-d597-45b1-a27c-6ba8d984b5e5,
abstract = {{<p>Gut microbial communities can facilitate traits that are essential for invasive species survival in novel environments. Despite the global plethora of invasive social insect species, the role of the gut microbiome in colonisation success under novel dietary and environmental conditions is little known. The introduction of the European buff-tailed bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, to the island of Tasmania (Australia) ~30 years ago is of ecological concern due to its negative impacts on native vegetation and endemic bees. Here, we investigate how the gut microbiota of B. terrestris workers is affected by corbicular pollen diversity and environmental variation across diverse landscapes in an invaded island system. B. terrestris female workers were sampled from 19 sites across Tasmania, for which environmental data for seven variables were extracted. Using 16S rRNA and ITS2 metabarcoding on gut samples and foraged pollen, respectively, we examine how the gut microbiota of B. terrestris is influenced by pollen diversity, environmental variables and their interactions. Gut bacterial community composition was significantly predicted by site annual precipitation and the percentage of pasture, which each explained 9% of the variation. Gut bacterial diversity was also explained by precipitation and pasture (40% and 30% of the variation, respectively). Furthermore, a positive interaction between annual precipitation and annual temperature significantly predicted site gut bacterial diversity. The interaction effect of pollen diversity and summer wind velocity was also positively related to gut bacterial diversity. Our findings contribute to understanding how interactions between the local environment and pollen diet affect the bee gut microbiome and thus the health and success of invasive pollinators.</p>}},
author = {{Haque, Sabrina and Gamage, Hasinika K.A.H. and Kardum Hjort, Cecilia and Ponton, Fleur and Encinas-Viso, Francisco and Paulsen, Ian T. and Dudaniec, Rachael Y.}},
issn = {{2045-7758}},
keywords = {{Bombus terrestris; bumblebee; environment; gut microbiome; invasive species; metabarcoding; pollen; Tasmania}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{7}},
publisher = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
series = {{Ecology and Evolution}},
title = {{Landscape-Wide Metabarcoding Shows Interactions Among the Gut Microbiome and Pollen Diversity in the Invasive Bumblebee, Bombus terrestris}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71717}},
doi = {{10.1002/ece3.71717}},
volume = {{15}},
year = {{2025}},
}