Sociality drives the gain and loss of gut symbionts in bees

Seminar by Tobin Hammer (UCI)

Abstract:

Host-associated microbiomes are highly dynamic, but the drivers and consequences are often unclear. I will present recent research showing that changes in bee sociality can explain gains and losses of gut bacterial symbionts that occur both over the life cycle and during diversification. Further, experiments show that these dynamics can affect host fitness, suggesting that sensitivity to microbiome disturbance might contribute to ongoing declines in bee biodiversity.