Gilliamella apicola and Snodgrassella alvi are dominant members of the honey bee (Apis
spp.) and bumble bee (Bombus spp.) gut microbiota. We generated complete genomes of …

Bacteria that engage in long‐standing associations with particular hosts are expected to
evolve host‐specific adaptations that limit their capacity to thrive in other environments …

Microbial communities in animal guts are composed of diverse, specialized bacterial
species, but little is known about how gut bacteria diversify to produce genetically and …

Gut microbes can play an important role in digestion, disease resistance, and the general
health of animals, but little is known about the biology of gut symbionts in Apis mellifera. As …

Animals living in social communities typically harbor a characteristic gut microbiota
important for nutrition and pathogen defense. Accordingly, in the gut of the honey bee, Apis …

Host‐restricted lineages of gut bacteria often include many closely related strains, but this
fine‐scale diversity is rarely investigated. The specialized gut symbiont Snodgrassella alvi …

Bacterial symbionts of eukaryotes often give up generalist lifestyles to specialize to particular
hosts. The eusocial honey bees and bumble bees harbor two such specialized gut …

Social bees collect carbohydrate-rich food to support their colonies, and yet, certain
carbohydrates present in their diet or produced through the breakdown of pollen are toxic to …

Abstract Background Honey bees, Apis mellifera, face many parasites and pathogens and
consequently rely on a diverse set of individual and group-level defenses to prevent …

The honey bee, Apis mellifera, harbors a characteristic gut microbiota composed of only a
few species which seem to be specific to social bees. The maintenance of this stable and …