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Microorganisms
Special Issues
Microorganisms in Pollinators: Interactions with Other Factors 2.0
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Microorganisms in Pollinators: Interactions with Other Factors 2.0

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 9387

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Raquel Martín Hernández

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Guest Editor
Honey Bee Health, Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental de Marchamalo (CIAPA), Instituto Regional de Investigación Agroalimentario y Forestal (IRIAF), Junta de Comunidades de Castilla –La Mancha, 19180 Marchamalo, Spain
Interests: honey bee health; microsporidia; Nosema; viruses; Fungi; bee microbiota; pathogen interaction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mariano Higes Pascual

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Honey Bee Health, Centro de Investigación Apícola y Agroambiental de Marchamalo (CIAPA), Instituto Regional de Investigación Agroalimentario y Forestal (IRIAF), Junta de Comunidades de Castilla –La Mancha, 19180 Marchamalo, Spain
Interests: honey bee health; microsporidia; Nosema; viruses; Varroa; trypanosomatids; pesticide residues
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is the continuation of our previous Special Issue "Microorganisms in Pollinators: Interactions with Other Factors" .

Pollinating insects are essential for maintaining wild and cultivated ecosystems. In fact, much of the world’s agricultural production depends on the activity of these insects. Honeybees are one of the most efficient pollinators since they form colonies of thousands of individuals and because colonies can be moved for the pollination of certain crops or areas of interest as a result of beekeeping activity. However, there are many other species of wild bees (social or solitary) or insects that participate in pollination. Some of these species are commercially exploited and are therefore also crucial for the maintenance of plant and animal biodiversity. In recent years, a large loss of pollinators has been detected worldwide, and many researchers have focused on studying the causes of this decrease. Pathogenic microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, and viruses that affect both the adult and immature stages of pollinating insects have been proposed as the primary cause of this loss. However, pollinators live in a complex world in which a large number of interactions occur, not only among pathogens (including mites) or their microbiota, but also with host genetic and several abiotic factors (such as nutrition, pesticides, or climate change, among others). In this Special Issue of Microorganisms, we plan to explore the relationships established among different microorganisms, pathogenic or otherwise, and how insects’ genetic or abiotic factors interact with the microorganism and in what way they influence pollinator health.

Dr. Raquel Martín Hernández
Dr. Mariano Higes Pascual
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • insect pollinators
  • honeybee
  • bumble bee
  • microsporidia
  • viruses
  • bacteria
  • health
  • interaction
  • nutrition influence on microorganism
  • pesticide
  • influence on microorganism
  • genetic influence on microorganism

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3265 KiB  
Article
Laboratory Risk Assessment of Three Entomopathogenic Fungi Used for Pest Control toward Social Bee Pollinators
by Mariana O. G. Leite, Denise A. Alves, Antoine Lecocq, José Bruno Malaquias, Italo Delalibera, Jr. and Annette B. Jensen
Microorganisms 2022, 10(9), 1800; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10091800 - 7 Sep 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2920
Abstract
The use of fungal-based biopesticides to reduce pest damage and protect crop quality is often considered a low-risk control strategy. Nevertheless, risk assessment of mycopesticides is still needed since pests and beneficial insects, such as pollinators, co-exist in the same agroecosystem where mass [...] Read more.
The use of fungal-based biopesticides to reduce pest damage and protect crop quality is often considered a low-risk control strategy. Nevertheless, risk assessment of mycopesticides is still needed since pests and beneficial insects, such as pollinators, co-exist in the same agroecosystem where mass use of this strategy occurs. In this context, we evaluated the effect of five concentrations of three commercial entomopathogenic fungi, Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, and Cordyceps fumosorosea, by direct contact and ingestion, on the tropical stingless bees Scaptotrigona depilis and Tetragonisca angustula, temperate bee species, the honey bee Apis mellifera, and the bumble bee Bombus terrestris, at the individual level. Furthermore, we studied the potential of two infection routes, either by direct contact or ingestion. In general, all three fungi caused considerable mortalities in the four bee species, which differed in their response to the different fungal species. Scaptotrigona depilis and B. terrestris were more susceptible to B. bassiana than the other fungi when exposed topically, and B. terrestris and A. mellifera were more susceptible to M. anisopliae when exposed orally. Interestingly, increased positive concentration responses were not observed for all fungal species and application methods. For example, B. terrestris mortalities were similar at the lowest and highest fungal concentrations for both exposure methods. This study demonstrates that under laboratory conditions, the three fungal species can potentially reduce the survival of social bees at the individual level. However, further colony and field studies are needed to elucidate the susceptibility of these fungi towards social bees to fully assess the ecological risks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microorganisms in Pollinators: Interactions with Other Factors 2.0)
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13 pages, 2344 KiB  
Article
Comparative Genomics of Acetic Acid Bacteria within the Genus Bombella in Light of Beehive Habitat Adaptation
by Luca Härer, Maik Hilgarth and Matthias A. Ehrmann
Microorganisms 2022, 10(5), 1058; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10051058 - 20 May 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2818
Abstract
It is known that the bacterial microbiota in beehives is essential for keeping bees healthy. Acetic acid bacteria of the genus Bombella colonize several niches in beehives and are associated with larvae protection against microbial pathogens. We have analyzed the genomes of 22 [...] Read more.
It is known that the bacterial microbiota in beehives is essential for keeping bees healthy. Acetic acid bacteria of the genus Bombella colonize several niches in beehives and are associated with larvae protection against microbial pathogens. We have analyzed the genomes of 22 Bombella strains of different species isolated in eight different countries for taxonomic affiliation, central metabolism, prophages, bacteriocins and tetracycline resistance to further elucidate the symbiotic lifestyle and to identify typical traits of acetic acid bacteria. The genomes can be assigned to four different species. Three genomes show ANIb values and DDH values below species demarcation values to any validly described species, which identifies them as two potentially new species. All Bombella spp. lack genes in the Embden–Meyerhof–Parnas pathway and the tricarboxylic acid cycle, indicating a focus of intracellular carbohydrate metabolism on the pentose phosphate pathway or the Entner–Doudoroff pathway for which all genes were identified within the genomes. Five membrane-bound dehydrogenases were identified that catalyze oxidative fermentation reactions in the periplasm, yielding oxidative energy. Several complete prophages, but no bacteriocins, were identified. Resistance to tetracycline, used to prevent bacterial infections in beehives, was only found in Bombella apis MRM1T. Bombella strains exhibit increased osmotolerance in high glucose concentrations compared to Gluconobacter oxydans, indicating adaption to high sugar environments such as beehives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microorganisms in Pollinators: Interactions with Other Factors 2.0)
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12 pages, 1917 KiB  
Article
Whole Genome Sequence Analysis of a Novel Apilactobacillus Species from Giant Honeybee (Apis dorsata) Gut Reveals Occurrence of Genetic Elements Coding Prebiotic and Probiotic Traits
by Waqar Ahmad, Shazia Khaliq, Nasrin Akhtar, Jamilah El Arab, Kalsoom Akhtar, Satya Prakash, Munir A. Anwar and Nayla Munawar
Microorganisms 2022, 10(5), 904; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10050904 - 26 Apr 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2999
Abstract
Apilactobacillus spp. are classified as obligate fructophilic lactic acid bacteria (FLAB) that inhabit fructose-rich niches such as honeybee gut. Lactic acid bacteria are an important component of the gut microbiome and play a crucial role in maintaining gut health. In this study, a [...] Read more.
Apilactobacillus spp. are classified as obligate fructophilic lactic acid bacteria (FLAB) that inhabit fructose-rich niches such as honeybee gut. Lactic acid bacteria are an important component of the gut microbiome and play a crucial role in maintaining gut health. In this study, a new FLAB strain HBW1, capable of producing glucan-type exopolysaccharide, was isolated from giant honeybee (Apis dorsata) gut and subjected to whole genome sequencing (WHS) to determine its health-beneficial traits. The genome size of the isolate was 1.49 Mb with a GC content of 37.2%. For species level identity, 16S rDNA sequence similarity, genome to genome distance calculator (dDDH), and average nucleotide identity (ANI) values were calculated. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the isolate HBW1 belongs to the Apilactobacillus genus. The dDDH and ANI values in comparison with closely clustered Apilactobacillus kunkeei species were 52% and 93.10%, respectively. Based on these values, we concluded that HBW1 is a novel species of Apilactobacillus, and we propose the name Apilactobacillus waqarii HBW1 for it. Further, WHS data mining of HBW1 revealed that it harbors two glucosyltransferase genes for prebiotic glucan-type exopolysaccharide synthesis. Moreover, chaperon (clp) and methionine sulfoxide reductase (msrA, msrB, and msrC) genes as well as nutritional marker genes for folic acid (folD) and riboflavin biosynthesis (rib operon), important for conferring probiotic properties, were also detected. Occurrence of these genetic traits make HBW1 an excellent candidate for application to improve gut function. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microorganisms in Pollinators: Interactions with Other Factors 2.0)
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