Science, Space and Technology News 2024
June 6, 2024Studies reveal Aspergillus flavus’s unique adaptations to thrive in the harsh conditions of bee hives, suggesting a potential symbiotic relationship with bees.
Previous research efforts to catalog the fungal diversity in honey bee colonies have consistently identifiedas a common presence in hives. The past attempts of honey bee researchers to inventory the fungal diversity in honey bee colonies revealed thatis frequently found in hives. In a new study, scientists have discovered that this fungus is uniquely adapted to survive in bee colonies.
They first tested whether the strains showed any differences in their responses to pH and temperature. The latter was looked at because hives are characterized by higher year-round temperatures compared to the outside environments, which is a challenge for many microbes. Although the strains were all able to grow across different temperature ranges, they had visible growth differences under different pH conditions.
To better understand how the hive-associated fungal species were able to adapt, the researchers also sequenced thestrain and found that it had several genetic mutations that allowed it to tolerate the harsh conditions of the bee bread environment.“We believe that these are signs that there is a level of adaptation for the fungus that helps it cohabitate with the bees,” Bush said. “We suspect that there is some mutual benefit to both organisms, but we haven’t found sufficient evidence yet.
The researchers are now hoping to study how the fungus performs on different compositions of bee bread during their life cycle. They hope that their work will shed light on how fungicides that are routinely used to protect the bee hives will affect these microbes.) displays adaptations to distinctive features of the hive environment” by Daniel S. Bush, Bernarda Calla and May R.
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