Biomaterial Database

Gut microbial communities of social bees. 2016

Waldan K Kwong, and Nancy A Moran

Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.

The gut microbiota can have profound effects on hosts, but the study of these relationships in humans is challenging. The specialized gut microbial community of honey bees is similar to the mammalian microbiota, as both are mostly composed of host-adapted, facultatively anaerobic and microaerophilic bacteria. However, the microbial community of the bee gut is far simpler than the mammalian microbiota, being dominated by only nine bacterial species clusters that are specific to bees and that are transmitted through social interactions between individuals. Recent developments, which include the discovery of extensive strain-level variation, evidence of protective and nutritional functions, and reports of eco-physiological or disease-associated perturbations to the microbial community, have drawn attention to the role of the microbiota in bee health and its potential as a model for studying the ecology and evolution of gut symbionts.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007778	Lactobacillus	A genus of gram-positive, microaerophilic, rod-shaped bacteria occurring widely in nature. Its species are also part of the many normal flora of the mouth, intestinal tract, and vagina of many mammals, including humans. Lactobacillus species are homofermentative and ferment a broad spectrum of carbohydrates often host-adapted but do not ferment PENTOSES. Most members were previously assigned to the Lactobacillus delbrueckii group. Pathogenicity from this genus is rare.
D005075	Biological Evolution	The process of cumulative change over successive generations through which organisms acquire their distinguishing morphological and physiological characteristics.	Evolution, Biological
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000069196	Gastrointestinal Microbiome	All of the microbial organisms that naturally exist within the GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT.	Enteric Bacteria,Gastric Microbiome,Gastrointestinal Flora,Gastrointestinal Microbial Community,Gastrointestinal Microbiota,Gastrointestinal Microflora,Gut Flora,Gut Microbiome,Gut Microbiota,Gut Microflora,Intestinal Flora,Intestinal Microbiome,Intestinal Microbiota,Intestinal Microflora,Bacteria, Enteric,Flora, Gastrointestinal,Flora, Gut,Flora, Intestinal,Gastric Microbiomes,Gastrointestinal Microbial Communities,Gastrointestinal Microbiomes,Gastrointestinal Microbiotas,Gut Microbiomes,Gut Microbiotas,Intestinal Microbiomes,Intestinal Microbiotas,Microbial Community, Gastrointestinal,Microbiome, Gastric,Microbiome, Gastrointestinal,Microbiome, Gut,Microbiome, Intestinal,Microbiota, Gastrointestinal,Microbiota, Gut,Microbiota, Intestinal,Microflora, Gastrointestinal,Microflora, Gut,Microflora, Intestinal
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001419	Bacteria	One of the three domains of life (the others being Eukarya and ARCHAEA), also called Eubacteria. They are unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms which generally possess rigid cell walls, multiply by cell division, and exhibit three principal forms: round or coccal, rodlike or bacillary, and spiral or spirochetal. Bacteria can be classified by their response to OXYGEN: aerobic, anaerobic, or facultatively anaerobic; by the mode by which they obtain their energy: chemotrophy (via chemical reaction) or PHOTOTROPHY (via light reaction); for chemotrophs by their source of chemical energy: CHEMOLITHOTROPHY (from inorganic compounds) or chemoorganotrophy (from organic compounds); and by their source for CARBON; NITROGEN; etc.; HETEROTROPHY (from organic sources) or AUTOTROPHY (from CARBON DIOXIDE). They can also be classified by whether or not they stain (based on the structure of their CELL WALLS) with CRYSTAL VIOLET dye: gram-negative or gram-positive.	Eubacteria
D001473	Bartonella	A genus of gram-negative bacteria characteristically appearing in chains of several segmenting organisms. It occurs in man and arthropod vectors and is found only in the Andes region of South America. This genus is the etiologic agent of human bartonellosis. The genus Rochalimaea, once considered a separate genus, has recently been combined with the genus Bartonella as a result of high levels of relatedness in 16S rRNA sequence data and DNA hybridization data.	Rochalimaea
D001516	Bees	Insect members of the superfamily Apoidea, found almost everywhere, particularly on flowers. About 3500 species occur in North America. They differ from most WASPS in that their young are fed honey and pollen rather than animal food.	Apidae,Apis,Apis mellifera,Apis mellifica,European Honey Bee,Honey Bee Drone,Bee,Bee, European Honey,Drone, Honey Bee,European Honey Bees,Honey Bee Drones,Honey Bee, European
D012336	RNA, Ribosomal, 16S	Constituent of 30S subunit prokaryotic ribosomes containing 1600 nucleotides and 21 proteins. 16S rRNA is involved in initiation of polypeptide synthesis.	16S Ribosomal RNA,16S rRNA,RNA, 16S Ribosomal,Ribosomal RNA, 16S,rRNA, 16S
D013559	Symbiosis	The relationship between two different species of organisms that are interdependent; each gains benefits from the other or a relationship between different species where both of the organisms in question benefit from the presence of the other.	Endosymbiosis,Commensalism,Mutualism