Submission Type
Poster
Abstract
Bombella apis is a bacterial honey bee symbiont that benefits larvae by supplementing their nutrition and protecting them from pathogenic fungi. B. apis co-occurs with another bee-associated bacterium, Apilactobacillus kunkeei, in certain hive niches: nectar, larvae, honey stomachs of nurse bees, the queen gut, and royal jelly. Because bacterial species existing in the same ecological niche are apt to form microbial communities that interact, these interactions may modulate B. apis’ positive impact on the honey bee larvae. We hypothesize that due to its faster growth, A. kunkeei outcompetes B. apis for shared resources in nutrient rich conditions such as nectar and honey stomachs of worker bees. However, because B. apis is the only hive microbiome member specialized to persist in antimicrobial royal jelly, it may compete much better in harsher conditions such as the larval diet.
We have compiled isolates of B. apis and A. kunkeei collected from honey bee hives, and used pairwise cocultures to compare the fitness of each strain across a variety of media conditions. The media conditions chosen reflect differences in the environments B. apis and A. kunkeei occupy, such as the presence of royal jelly, pollen, and differential sugar content. Preliminary data has shown that in rich media, pairwise cocultures of these species result in a decreased B. apis cell density and an increased A. kunkeei cell density, while minimal pollen media results in an equal amount of growth for both species. Future work will use mutual invasion criterion to determine if these species coexist.
Microbial Community Interactions Between Honey Bee Symbionts
Bombella apis is a bacterial honey bee symbiont that benefits larvae by supplementing their nutrition and protecting them from pathogenic fungi. B. apis co-occurs with another bee-associated bacterium, Apilactobacillus kunkeei, in certain hive niches: nectar, larvae, honey stomachs of nurse bees, the queen gut, and royal jelly. Because bacterial species existing in the same ecological niche are apt to form microbial communities that interact, these interactions may modulate B. apis’ positive impact on the honey bee larvae. We hypothesize that due to its faster growth, A. kunkeei outcompetes B. apis for shared resources in nutrient rich conditions such as nectar and honey stomachs of worker bees. However, because B. apis is the only hive microbiome member specialized to persist in antimicrobial royal jelly, it may compete much better in harsher conditions such as the larval diet.
We have compiled isolates of B. apis and A. kunkeei collected from honey bee hives, and used pairwise cocultures to compare the fitness of each strain across a variety of media conditions. The media conditions chosen reflect differences in the environments B. apis and A. kunkeei occupy, such as the presence of royal jelly, pollen, and differential sugar content. Preliminary data has shown that in rich media, pairwise cocultures of these species result in a decreased B. apis cell density and an increased A. kunkeei cell density, while minimal pollen media results in an equal amount of growth for both species. Future work will use mutual invasion criterion to determine if these species coexist.
Comments
J. Lewis, D. Miller, J. McKinlay, I. Newton; Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN