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Characterization of the honey bee and stingless bee gut microbiota: A hidden diversity and host-specific microbiomes from sub-Saharan-African region
Thesis (PhD (Molecular Biology and Biotechnology))--University of Pretoria, 2020.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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University of Pretoria
2021
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| _version_ | 1867613682590023680 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Slippers, Bernard |
| author_browse | Slippers, Bernard |
| author_facet | Slippers, Bernard |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2019 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Thesis (PhD (Molecular Biology and Biotechnology))--University of Pretoria, 2020. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/80829 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:40:01.664Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publishDateRange | 2021 |
| publishDateSort | 2021 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/80829 Characterization of the honey bee and stingless bee gut microbiota: A hidden diversity and host-specific microbiomes from sub-Saharan-African region Slippers, Bernard u18387978@tuks.co.za Paredes, Juan C. Tola, Yosef Hamba Apis mellifera Gilliamella Meliponula Lactobacillaceae Commensalibacter UCTD Thesis (PhD (Molecular Biology and Biotechnology))--University of Pretoria, 2020. Pollinators are significant contributors to world’s economy, nutrition, food security and biodiversity. Among all animal pollinators, the honey bee, Apis mellifera, is one of the most important and widely used managed pollinators worldwide, while stingless bees (Apidae: Meliponini) are becoming important alternative pollinators of horticulture crops, particularly with the recent honey bee colony losses worldwide. Recently, attention has been drawn to the microbiota communities associated with bee gut and their potential impact on the host physiology and health. However, no comprehensive study on this subject has been conducted in Africa, where important native diversity of the bees is found. Here, I characterized the gut microbiota of honey bee and stingless bee species/sub-species from sub-Saharan Africa using 16S rRNA amplicon sequence. In honey bees, I found all the core gut microbiota members reported elsewhere in the world, bees from the coastal regions of Kenya harbours a higher relative abundance and diversity of core members than bees from other regions. Additionally, I showed that Gilliamella, Snodgrassella and Frischella dominated in all locations, and that altitude and humidity affect Gilliamella abundance. In contrast, I found that Lactobacillus was less common compared to temperate regions of the world. In stingless bees, I found that Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria were the dominant and conserved phyla across the eight studied species. Nevertheless, I found significant continent-specific and host intra-species diversity where each stingless bee species has a distinct gut composition, and African bacterial strains cluster together based on phylogeny. Furthermore, I established protocols in the laboratory for newly emerged microbe-deprived worker bee rearing, and bee mono-inoculation. Using these protocols, I showed that Commensalibacter sp. AMU001 effectively colonized and multiplied in the bee gut and it did not affect its survival. This study is a first comprehensive study of the gut microbiota of bees from sub-Saharan Africa. The data and protocols develop in this thesis represent an important step towards the development of state-of-the-art bee gut microbiota research in Africa. Additionally, results will guide future strategies to improve bee health in the continent, the development of potential probiotics to increase bee resistance against pest and pathogens, to improve bee nutrition, and increase resilience against climate change. The Newton-Utafiti grant from the British Council (reference 275898413) and German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) In-Region Postgraduate Scholarship (reference 91671945); icipe core funding provided by UK Aid from the UK Government, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and the Government of Kenya. Genetics PhD (Molecular Biology and Biotechnology) Unrestricted 2021-07-14T09:53:11Z 2021-07-14T09:53:11Z 2021-09 2020-11-03 Thesis * S2021 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/80829 en © 2019 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | Apis mellifera Gilliamella Meliponula Lactobacillaceae Commensalibacter UCTD Characterization of the honey bee and stingless bee gut microbiota: A hidden diversity and host-specific microbiomes from sub-Saharan-African region |
| title | Characterization of the honey bee and stingless bee gut microbiota: A hidden diversity and host-specific microbiomes from sub-Saharan-African region |
| title_full | Characterization of the honey bee and stingless bee gut microbiota: A hidden diversity and host-specific microbiomes from sub-Saharan-African region |
| title_fullStr | Characterization of the honey bee and stingless bee gut microbiota: A hidden diversity and host-specific microbiomes from sub-Saharan-African region |
| title_full_unstemmed | Characterization of the honey bee and stingless bee gut microbiota: A hidden diversity and host-specific microbiomes from sub-Saharan-African region |
| title_short | Characterization of the honey bee and stingless bee gut microbiota: A hidden diversity and host-specific microbiomes from sub-Saharan-African region |
| title_sort | characterization of the honey bee and stingless bee gut microbiota a hidden diversity and host specific microbiomes from sub saharan african region |
| topic | Apis mellifera Gilliamella Meliponula Lactobacillaceae Commensalibacter UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/80829 |