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Microorganisms
Volume 13
Issue 7
10.3390/microorganisms13071645
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Gut Microbiota Diversity in 16 Stingless Bee Species (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini)

by
María de Lourdes Ramírez-Ahuja
1,†,
Kenzy I. Peña-Carrillo
2,†,
Mayra A. Gómez-Govea
1,
Mariana Lizbeth Jiménez-Martínez
1,
Gerardo de Jesús Trujillo-Rodríguez
1,
Marisol Espinoza-Ruiz
3,
Antonio Guzmán Velasco
4,
Adriana E. Flores
5,
José Ignacio González-Rojas
4,
Diana Reséndez-Pérez
6,* and
Iram Pablo Rodríguez-Sánchez
1,*
1
Laboratorio de Fisiología Molecular y Estructural, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza 64460, Mexico
2
Campo Experimental General Terán, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Km 31 Carretera Montemorelos-China, General Terán 67400, Mexico
3
Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Campus IV, Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas, Tapachula 30580, Mexico
4
Laboratorio de Conservación de Vida Silvestre y Desarrollo Sustentable, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza 64460, Mexico
5
Laboratorio de Entomología Médica, Departamento de Zoología de Invertebrados, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza 66455, Mexico
6
Departamento de Biología Celular y Genética, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza 66455, Mexico
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Microorganisms 2025, 13(7), 1645; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13071645
Submission received: 31 May 2025 / Revised: 8 July 2025 / Accepted: 9 July 2025 / Published: 11 July 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Gut Microbiota)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Bacterial symbionts play an important role in insect survival by contributing to key metabolic and defensive functions. While stingless bees are known to harbor diverse microbial communities, their core bacterial symbionts remain poorly characterized. In this study, we analyzed the gut microbiota of sixteen stingless bee species collected from different regions of Mexico using 16S rRNA gene sequencing on the Illumina® MiSeq™ platform. Our results revealed that Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria are the most abundant bacterial phyla across species. Among the dominant genera, lactic acid bacteria, such as Lactobacillus spp., Bifidobacterium, and Fructobacillus spp., were the most prevalent. These bacteria are responsible for developing biochemical functions in metabolic processes like lactic fermentation and the biotransformation of complex organic compounds into molecules that are more easily assimilated by bees. This study offers a novel perspective on the diversity and predicted composition of gut microbiota in Mexican stingless bees. By highlighting differences in microbial communities among species with different feeding habits, our results emphasize the importance of preserving microbial biodiversity in these pollinators.
Keywords: stingless bees; corbiculate bees; microbiome; gut microbiota stingless bees; corbiculate bees; microbiome; gut microbiota

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Ramírez-Ahuja, M.d.L.; Peña-Carrillo, K.I.; Gómez-Govea, M.A.; Jiménez-Martínez, M.L.; Trujillo-Rodríguez, G.d.J.; Espinoza-Ruiz, M.; Guzmán Velasco, A.; Flores, A.E.; González-Rojas, J.I.; Reséndez-Pérez, D.; et al. Gut Microbiota Diversity in 16 Stingless Bee Species (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini). Microorganisms 2025, 13, 1645. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13071645

AMA Style

Ramírez-Ahuja MdL, Peña-Carrillo KI, Gómez-Govea MA, Jiménez-Martínez ML, Trujillo-Rodríguez GdJ, Espinoza-Ruiz M, Guzmán Velasco A, Flores AE, González-Rojas JI, Reséndez-Pérez D, et al. Gut Microbiota Diversity in 16 Stingless Bee Species (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini). Microorganisms. 2025; 13(7):1645. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13071645

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ramírez-Ahuja, María de Lourdes, Kenzy I. Peña-Carrillo, Mayra A. Gómez-Govea, Mariana Lizbeth Jiménez-Martínez, Gerardo de Jesús Trujillo-Rodríguez, Marisol Espinoza-Ruiz, Antonio Guzmán Velasco, Adriana E. Flores, José Ignacio González-Rojas, Diana Reséndez-Pérez, and et al. 2025. "Gut Microbiota Diversity in 16 Stingless Bee Species (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini)" Microorganisms 13, no. 7: 1645. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13071645

APA Style

Ramírez-Ahuja, M. d. L., Peña-Carrillo, K. I., Gómez-Govea, M. A., Jiménez-Martínez, M. L., Trujillo-Rodríguez, G. d. J., Espinoza-Ruiz, M., Guzmán Velasco, A., Flores, A. E., González-Rojas, J. I., Reséndez-Pérez, D., & Rodríguez-Sánchez, I. P. (2025). Gut Microbiota Diversity in 16 Stingless Bee Species (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini). Microorganisms, 13(7), 1645. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13071645

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