{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,9]],"date-time":"2026-10-09T21:49:59Z","timestamp":1791582599792,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]],"date-time":"2026-05-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778112000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003593","name":"Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient\u00edfico e Tecnol\u00f3gico","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["140970\/2020-7"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["140970\/2020-7"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003593","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004901","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o de Amparo \u00e0 Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["APQ \u2013 03029-21"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["APQ \u2013 03029-21"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004901","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"National Institute of Health","award":["R35GM131738"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R35GM131738"]}]},{"name":"National Institute of Health","award":["R35GM131738"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R35GM131738"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003593","name":"Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient\u00edfico e Tecnol\u00f3gico","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["200674\/2022-6"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["200674\/2022-6"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003593","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"\n The gut microbiome of eusocial corbiculate bees, which include honeybees, bumblebees, and stingless bees, consists of anciently associated, host-specific bacteria that play crucial role in nutrition, pathogen defense and host fitness. While the core microbiota of honeybees and bumblebees is well characterized, the composition, spatial organization, and evolutionary dynamics of the microbiota of stingless bees remain poorly understood. This gap is particularly evident in the diverse genus\n Melipona<\/jats:italic>\n , where\n Snodgrassella<\/jats:italic>\n and\n Gilliamella<\/jats:italic>\n , ubiquitous symbionts of honeybees and bumblebees, appear rare or absent, indicating a shift in microbiota composition in these stingless bees. Here, we address this gap by characterizing the microbiota of multiple\n Melipona<\/jats:italic>\n species using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of newly collected and previously published data from field-collected samples. We also mapped the spatial localization of the dominant microbiota members within the gut regions of\n Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides<\/jats:italic>\n through targeted dissection. The\n Melipona<\/jats:italic>\n microbiota is dominated by members of the genera\n Bifidobacterium<\/jats:italic>\n ,\n Lactobacillus<\/jats:italic>\n ,\n Apilactobacillus<\/jats:italic>\n ,\n Floricoccus<\/jats:italic>\n , and\n Bombella<\/jats:italic>\n , with striking regional structure.\n Apilactobacillus<\/jats:italic>\n and\n Bombella<\/jats:italic>\n dominate in the crop, whereas\n Apilactobacillus<\/jats:italic>\n and other members of the Lactobacillaceae are most abundant in the ventriculus. The ileum lacks\n Snodgrassella<\/jats:italic>\n and\n Gilliamella<\/jats:italic>\n but contains a putative new symbiont closely related to\n Floricoccus<\/jats:italic>\n , as well as strains of\n Bifidobacterium<\/jats:italic>\n , Lactobacillaceae (including\n Apilactobacillus<\/jats:italic>\n ), and\n Bombella<\/jats:italic>\n . The rectum is dominated by\n Bifidobacterium<\/jats:italic>\n and\n Lactobacillus<\/jats:italic>\n . These findings reveal a distinct microbiota architecture in\n Melipona<\/jats:italic>\n that differs from other corniculate bees yet retains compartment-specific specialization, suggesting an alternative symbiotic strategy that may reflect unique dietary ecology and evolutionary history. Understanding these patterns advances our knowledge of host-microbe symbiosis and provides a baseline for microbiome conservation in declining stingless bee populations.\n <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0326546","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]],"date-time":"2026-05-07T17:28:50Z","timestamp":1778174930000},"page":"e0326546","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Gut microbiota of Brazilian Melipona stingless bees: Dominant members and their localization in different gut regions"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9604-6243","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Amanda Tristao","family":"Santini","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alan Emanuel Silva","family":"Cerqueira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nancy A.","family":"Moran","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Helder Canto","family":"Resende","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Weyder Cristiano","family":"Santana","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sergio Oliveira","family":"de Paula","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cynthia Canedo","family":"da Silva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0326546.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"17","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-ento-010814-020822","article-title":"Multiorganismal insects: Diversity and function of resident microorganisms","volume":"60","author":"AE Douglas","year":"2015","journal-title":"Annu Rev Entomol"},{"key":"pone.0326546.ref002","first-page":"139","article-title":"Gut microbial communities of social bees","volume":"176","author":"WK Kwong","year":"2017","journal-title":"Physiol Behav"},{"issue":"23","key":"pone.0326546.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7378","DOI":"10.1128\/AEM.01861-14","article-title":"Routes of acquisition of the gut microbiota of the honey bee apis mellifera","volume":"80","author":"JE Powell","year":"2014","journal-title":"Appl Environ Microbiol"},{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0326546.ref004","article-title":"Melipona stingless bees and honey microbiota reveal the diversity, composition, and modes of symbionts transmission","volume":"100","author":"AES Cerqueira","year":"2024","journal-title":"FEMS Microbiol Ecol"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0326546.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"170003","DOI":"10.1098\/rsos.170003","article-title":"Immune system stimulation by the native gut microbiota of honey bees","volume":"4","author":"WK Kwong","year":"2017","journal-title":"R Soc Open Sci"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0326546.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1201","DOI":"10.1111\/1751-7915.13579","article-title":"Honey bee (Apis mellifera) gut microbiota promotes host endogenous detoxification capability via regulation of P450 gene expression in the digestive tract","volume":"13","author":"Y Wu","year":"2020","journal-title":"Microb 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