Clues to bee health found in their gut microbiome

The local environment plays a pivotal role in the health and diversity of the gut microbiome of wild bees which could help detect invisible stressors and early indicators of potential threats, say scientists in a new study. Piloting a new frontier of metagenomics, the researchers sequenced whole genomes of three species of carpenter bees, a type of wild bee, in North America, Asia and Australia. This analysis allowed them to gain insights into the bee's gut microbiome (bacteria and fungi), diet and viral load, as well as their environmental DNA.

from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/Vusnfka