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(CNN)The immense bulk of bees provender connected pollen and nectar, but definite taxon person evolved to feast connected meat, substituting dormant carnal carcasses for angiosperm meadows.
To amended recognize this utmost displacement successful diet, scientists astatine the University of California-Riverside, Columbia University and Cornell University studied the gut bacteria oregon microbiome of the alleged vulture bees successful Costa Rica. The researchers recovered that the bees' guts are affluent successful acid-loving bacteria akin to those recovered successful vultures, hyenas and different animals that provender connected carrion.
Their study was released connected Tuesday successful the diary mBio, published by the American Society for Microbiology
Only 3 taxon of bee successful the satellite -- each vulture bees -- person evolved to get their macromolecule exclusively from dormant meat, and they unrecorded lone successful tropical rainforests. However, determination are different bee taxon that volition devour caller carnal carcasses erstwhile disposable but besides forage for pollen and nectar, according to the study.
Bees and gut bacteria
The guts of honeybees, bumblebees and stingless bees are colonized by the aforesaid 5 halfway microbes, and they person retained these bacteria for astir 80 cardinal years, the survey noted. The researchers wanted to find retired however the guts of vulture bees differed.
The scientists acceptable up 16 stations baited with 50 grams (1.8 ounces) of earthy chickenhearted dangling from branches astir 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) supra the ground. To deter ants, they coated the drawstring with petroleum jelly. They collected 159 bees successful total, including, for comparison, bees that provender connected pollen and nutrient and vegetarian bees that provender exclusively connected pollen and nectar.
After studying the microbiomes of the bees by extracting DNA from their abdomens, the researchers recovered that vulture bees had mislaid immoderate of the halfway microbes astir bees have and developed a much acidic gut.
"The vulture bee microbiome is enriched successful acid-loving bacteria, which are caller bacteria that their relatives don't have," said Quinn McFrederick, an adjunct prof and bee specializer astatine UC Riverside and an writer of the study.
"These bacteria are akin to ones recovered successful existent vultures, arsenic good arsenic hyenas and different carrion-feeders, presumably to assistance support them from pathogens that amusement up connected carrion."
He added that bees that provender connected some pollen and carrion had different types of bacteria erstwhile compared to either the strict pollen feeders oregon strict carrion feeders. This suggests either they harbor a greater diverseness of microbes successful effect to their divers fare oregon that they are exposed to a greater diverseness of microbes erstwhile visiting some flowers and carrion.
One of the bacteria contiguous successful vulture bees is Lactobacillus, which is successful a batch of humans' fermented food, including sourdough, according to a quality statement. They were besides recovered to harbor Carnobacterium, which is associated with soma digestion.
Though they provender connected flesh, the researchers said that the vulture bees' chromatic is inactive saccharine and edible.
"They store the nutrient successful peculiar chambers (in their hives) that are sealed disconnected for 2 weeks earlier they entree it, and these chambers are abstracted from wherever the chromatic is stored," said Jessica Maccaro, a doctoral pupil astatine UC Riverside who besides took portion successful the study, successful the statement.
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