| Popis: |
Currently, Apis mellifera, commonly known as honeybees, are dying at alarming rates. Beekeepers across the United States lost 45.5% of their managed honeybee colonies from April 2020 to April 2021. This turnover rate is staggeringly high and has been growing. This loss poses a food security and economic problem. Recent studies have shown that diet and the microbes living in honeybee guts are a critical part of this picture. These microbes influence weight gain, energy metabolism, nutrient uptake, development, and immune function. Research shows that higher agricultural intensity decreases the diversity of microbial communities in the nectar of crops. In this thesis, we connect these findings by exploring how agricultural intensification impacts the diversity of the honeybee gut microbiome. To perform this research, live honeybees were collected from both organic and conventional almond farms. The honeybee’s crop stomach and intestine were isolated and the bacterial DNA present was sequenced. These results show that conventional farming practices significantly lower the diversity of the microbiome of honeybees' guts, particularly in the intestinal tract. Given the critical role of intestinal microbes in honeybee health, the reduced microbial diversity caused by agricultural disturbance could be a contributing factor to honeybee decline. With this information, farmers can make better informed choices about their practices and researchers can continue to pursue microbial solutions to honeybee decline. |
