Bacterial Communities in Three Parts of Intestinal Tracts of Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa tenuiscapa)

This study investigated different bacterial communities in three intestinal parts (foregut, midgut and hindgut) ofXylocopatenuiscapato understand the roles of gut bacteria. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed thatX. tenuiscapais closely related toXylocopa latipes. The 16S rRNA gene in the genomic DNA samples from the gut was examined by illumina (Solexa) and a total of 998 operational taxonomic unit (OTUs) clusters were found. Taxonomic classification identified 16 bacterial phyla and unclassified bacteria. The dominant bacteria taxa in the three parts ofX. tenuiscapagut were Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria. In the foregut, Lactobacillales and Enterobacteriaceae were predominantly found. The population in the midgut was similar to that in the foregut, with the addition ofGilliamella, which was also abundant. The most dominant bacteria identified in the hindgut were similar to those in the midgut and Lactobacillales, Enterobacteriaceae,Gilliamella, Bifidobacteriaceae and Flavobacteriaceae appeared in abundance. Moreover, our results suggest that a community structure of bacteria in different parts ofX. tenuiscapa's gut may be an important indicator of carpenter bees' health. This functional study of bacterial communities revealed significant differences among the three intestinal parts and is the first report of the gut bacteria structure in solitary bees.