蜜蜂肠道微生物与其社会性的关系

蜜蜂是一种典型的营群居生活的社会性昆虫,相比独居生活的昆虫,其肠道微生物具有独特的区系结构。这种独特肠道微生物与其社会性之间的关系是一个重要的科学问题。现有研究显示,蜜蜂肠道的优势菌包括9大类群。消化道不同区段的优势菌种类和丰度存在差异。主要表现为前肠种类少、丰度低、后肠种类多、数量大,占了全消化道微生物的99%以上。不同社会分工的蜜蜂肠道微生物区系结构存在差异,肠道微生物会通过影响胰岛素信号的传导、保幼激素和卵黄原蛋白的合成以及蜜蜂抗氧化应激的能力等对蜜蜂的级型分化、社会分工、摄食行为及寿命长短产生调节作用。除此之外,蜜蜂肠道微生物还具有激活免疫、抑制病原菌生长、降解食物、促进养分吸收、解毒、发酵蜂蜜和蜂粮等作用。主要针对蜜蜂肠道微生物的基本特征及其与蜜蜂社会性的关系作一简要综述。

The Relationship Between Gut Microflora and Sociality of Honeybee

Honeybees are the typical eusocial insects living in social groups. Compared with solitary insects,they harbor special gut microflora. The relationship between bees’ unique gut microbes and their sociability is a fascinating scientific issue. Guts of honey bee workers are dominated by 9 distinctive bacterial phylotypes. The dominant species and abundances vary among various niche of digestive tract. There are few bacterial phylotypes and low abundance in foregut,but rich phylotypes and high abundances in hindgut,accounting for over 99% of microbes in whole gut. The microflora varies among the bees with different social division. Honeybee gut microbes can regulate their castes differentiation,social labor division,food intake behavior and lifespan by affecting insulin signals,the synthesis of juvenile hormone and vitellogenin,and the antioxidant stress ability. Besides,gut microbes in honeybee also play roles in activating immunity,inhibiting pathogenic bacteria,degrading food,promoting nutrient absorption,detoxifying,and fermenting honey and bee bread. The profile of honeybee gut microbes and the relationship between gut microbes and honeybee sociality are reviewed in this paper.