Elisabeth Williamson
@dr-ewilliamson.bsky.social
📤 7
📥 15
📝 1
Entomologist, Molecular ecologist, Evolutionary biologist.
reposted by
Elisabeth Williamson
Invertebrate Systematics and Biodiversity Lab
about 1 month ago
Our postdoc
@dr-ewilliamson.bsky.social
's recent PhD study on an Australian native solitary bee, Megachile tosticauda, challenged a longheld assumption in insect biology: that all bees rely on a functional gut
#microbiome
. So what happens if it's missing?
#bugsky
invertebratelab.com/2026/02/24/a...
loading . . .
A bee without a gut microbiome
My recent PhD study on an Australian native solitary bee, Megachile tosticauda, challenges a longheld assumption in insect biology: that all bees rely on a functional gut microbiome. Toda…
https://invertebratelab.com/2026/02/24/a..
0
3
3
Transient, environmentally acquired microbes can benefit insect hosts - but not always. In solitary bee Megachile tosticauda, bacteria detected by sequencing are not metabolically active gut symbionts and are not required for development. Presence≠function.
doi.org/10.1093/fems...
@femsmicro.org
loading . . .
Experimental evidence for the absence of a functional gut microbiome in the solitary bee Megachile tosticauda
Abstract. The eusocial honey bee is a model for insect microbiome research, with socially transmitted gut communities that play key roles in health and dev
https://doi.org/10.1093/femsle/fnag012
2 months ago
0
3
1
you reached the end!!
feeds!
log in