Influence of the provision microbiome on the development of Megachile rotundata

The alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata F. is an important field crop pollinator. The females provisions its offspring with pollen from different plant species. Pollen has a diverse community of microbes that are symbiotically associated with bees and contribute to the health and survival of both larvae and adults. Despite the apparent importance of the microbial community, evidence concerning the direct and indirect affects of provision microbes on physiology and growth rate is lacking in M. rotundata. We tested the hypothesis that the provison microbiome affects development and survival of the bees using antibiotics in diet. Manipulating the natural diet with diet containing antibiotics shows significant effects on the growth rate, larva weight, prepupal weight, and coccon weight and survival. The study supports the idea that bee-microbe interactions and diet quality (in this specific context) shapes the physiology of M. rotundata. In the future, this study will help in understanding of microbiome symbiotic links with bee health and nutrient.
Key words: provision microbiome, growth rate, mass, antibiotics