Open AccessT ‐ RFLP analysis of bacterial communities in the midguts of A pis mellifera and A pis cerana honey bees in T hailand
Author(s) -
Disayathanoowat Terd,
Young John Peter W.,
Helgason Thorunn,
Chantawannakul Panuwan
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
fems microbiology ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.377
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1574-6941
pISSN - 0168-6496
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2011.01216.x
Subject(s) - apis cerana , biology , gammaproteobacteria , firmicutes , honey bee , 16s ribosomal rna , swarming (honey bee) , zoology , worker bee , botany , ecology , honey bees , bacteria , genetics
This study investigated bacterial community structures in the midguts of A pis mellifera and A pis cerana in T hailand to understand how bacterial communities develop in A pis species. The bacterial species present in replicate colonies from different locations and life stages were analysed. PCR amplification of bacterial 16 S rRNA gene fragments and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses revealed a total of 16 distinct terminal restriction fragments ( T ‐ RF s), 12 of which were shared between A . mellifera and A . cerana populations. The T ‐ RF s were affiliated to B eta ‐ and G ammaproteobacteria , F irmicutes and A ctinomycetes . The G ammaproteobacteria were found to be common in all stages of honey bee, but in addition, the F irmicutes group was found to be present in the worker bees. Bacterial community structure showed no difference amongst the replicate colonies, but was affected to some degree by geographical location, life stage and species of honey bees.