Cover Caption

Bumblebees are important pollinators for both crops and wild plants that require the special buzz pollination. Vast majority of the world's bumble bee species are concentrated in China, specifically in the west mountain regions. Like social honey bees, bumble bees possess a simple gut microbiota dominated by few host-restricted bacterial species, and they are crucial for the metabolism, immune function, and many other aspects of the pollinator's health. By analyzing the gut community of bumble bees from different regions across China, it finds that they show two distinct gut enterotypes. Strains of the core gut member, Gilliamella, from different countries vary in gene repertoires related to sugar metabolism and antibiotic resistance (see pages 302-314). Photo by Dr. Xin Zhou.