Diversity of Gut Microbes in the Forager and Hive Bees of an Indian Population of Apis mellifera

In the present investigation, we have utilized phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) technique to study the microbial communities in the gut region of Apis mellifera. A total of six microbial groups belonging to gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, anaerobes, actinomycetes, microeukaryotes, and fungi were recorded from the Indian population of A. mellifera. The alpha diversity indices, evince that the hindgut of the hive bees is the favoured niche for a diverse microbial community. The gut microbiota of hive and forager bees exhibits a positive correlation with actinomycetes, gram-positive bacteria, and fungi (r = 0.73; r = 0.46; r = 0.21). Furthermore, the hindgut and foregut regions of hive bees, as well as the foregut of foragers, display a positive correlation (r = 0.63; r = 0.57; r = 0.57) with all microbial communities examined. Results of this study reveal the existence of distinct niches for diverse gut microbial groups in different gut regions of A. mellifera.