Seasonal variation of the Honey Bee honey stomach microbiome

• In Event: Poster Presentation and Judging for: Biomedical; Cell & Molecular Biology; Chemistry & Biochemistry; Marine Science; Systematics & Evolutionary Biology.
  In Poster Session: Cell & Molecular Biology Poster session

Abstract

The digestive tract of honeybees contains a specialized organ called the honey stomach that functions to process nectar into honey. Honey produced by different bee hives varies considerably in appearance, taste, and commercial viability due to its chemical composition. Furthermore, the microbiome of the honey stomach may influence the compositional makeup of the honey. Previously, we have seen that there is a difference in the microbiome content between the gastrointestinal tract and the honey stomach. In addition, it is known that the microbiome of the honey stomach contributes to the composition of honey. The aim of this study is to determine if there is a seasonal difference in the microbiome content of the honey stomachs. We determined the composition of the microbiome communities of the honey stomachs of four different honey bee hives through dissection and removal of the honey stomachs. The microbiomes of each sample were characterized by 16S rRNA amplification and sequencing, and analyzed using QIIME. There was a difference in the microbiome content between Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 samples. This difference may be a result of several factors such as mutation, source of nectar, different seasonal flowers, presence of parasites or pathogens, insecticidal or antimicrobial treatments, or differences in diet.

Authors

• A H M Zuberi Ashraf, Student

• Laura Weiser Erlandson, Texas A&M University - Central Texas

• Allyson K Martinez, TAMU