TY - JOUR
T1 - The bee microbiome
T2 - Impact on bee health and model for evolution and ecology of host-microbe interactions
AU - Engel, Philipp
AU - Kwong, Waldan K.
AU - McFrederick, Quinn
AU - Anderson, Kirk E.
AU - Barribeau, Seth Michael
AU - Chandler, James Angus
AU - Cornman, R. Scott
AU - Dainat, Jacques
AU - De Miranda, Joachim R.
AU - Doublet, Vincent
AU - Emery, Olivier
AU - Evans, Jay D.
AU - Farinelli, Laurent
AU - Flenniken, Michelle L.
AU - Granberg, Fredrik
AU - Grasis, Juris A.
AU - Gauthier, Laurent
AU - Hayer, Juliette
AU - Koch, Hauke
AU - Kocher, Sarah
AU - Martinson, Vincent G.
AU - Moran, Nancy
AU - Munoz-Torres, Monica
AU - Newton, Irene
AU - Paxton, Robert J.
AU - Powell, Eli
AU - Sadd, Ben M.
AU - Schmid-Hempel, Paul
AU - Schmid-Hempel, Regula
AU - Song, Se Jin
AU - Schwarz, Ryan S.
AU - van Engelsdorp, Dennis
AU - Dainat, Benjamin
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Engel et al.
PY - 2016/4/26
Y1 - 2016/4/26
N2 - As pollinators, bees are cornerstones for terrestrial ecosystem stability and key components in agricultural productivity. All animals, including bees, are associated with a diverse community of microbes, commonly referred to as the microbiome. The bee microbiome is likely to be a crucial factor affecting host health. However, with the exception of a few pathogens, the impacts of most members of the bee microbiome on host health are poorly understood. Further, the evolutionary and ecological forces that shape and change the microbiome are unclear. Here, we discuss recent progress in our understanding of the bee microbiome, and we present challenges associated with its investigation. We conclude that global coordination of research efforts is needed to fully understand the complex and highly dynamic nature of the interplay between the bee microbiome, its host, and the environment. High-throughput sequencing technologies are ideal for exploring complex biological systems, including host-microbe interactions. To maximize their value and to improve assessment of the factors affecting bee health, sequence data should be archived, curated, and analyzed in ways that promote the synthesis of different studies. To this end, the BeeBiome consortium aims to develop an online database which would provide reference sequences, archive metadata, and host analytical resources. The goal would be to support applied and fundamental research on bees and their associated microbes and to provide a collaborative framework for sharing primary data from different research programs, thus furthering our understanding of the bee microbiome and its impact on pollinator health.
AB - As pollinators, bees are cornerstones for terrestrial ecosystem stability and key components in agricultural productivity. All animals, including bees, are associated with a diverse community of microbes, commonly referred to as the microbiome. The bee microbiome is likely to be a crucial factor affecting host health. However, with the exception of a few pathogens, the impacts of most members of the bee microbiome on host health are poorly understood. Further, the evolutionary and ecological forces that shape and change the microbiome are unclear. Here, we discuss recent progress in our understanding of the bee microbiome, and we present challenges associated with its investigation. We conclude that global coordination of research efforts is needed to fully understand the complex and highly dynamic nature of the interplay between the bee microbiome, its host, and the environment. High-throughput sequencing technologies are ideal for exploring complex biological systems, including host-microbe interactions. To maximize their value and to improve assessment of the factors affecting bee health, sequence data should be archived, curated, and analyzed in ways that promote the synthesis of different studies. To this end, the BeeBiome consortium aims to develop an online database which would provide reference sequences, archive metadata, and host analytical resources. The goal would be to support applied and fundamental research on bees and their associated microbes and to provide a collaborative framework for sharing primary data from different research programs, thus furthering our understanding of the bee microbiome and its impact on pollinator health.
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U2 - 10.1128/mBio.02164-15
DO - 10.1128/mBio.02164-15
M3 - Article
C2 - 27118586
AN - SCOPUS:84965157449
SN - 2161-2129
VL - 7
JO - mBio
JF - mBio
IS - 2
M1 - e02164-15
ER -