A Deep Metagenomic Snapshot as a Proof-of-Concept for Resource Generation: Simultaneous Assembly of Host, Food, and Microbiome Genomes From Stingless Bee Larval Food Carlos Ueira‐Vieira, Ana Carolina Costa Santos, Thayane Nogueira Araújo, Solange Cristina Augusto, Natanael Borges de Avila, et al. Ecology and Evolution, 2025 Characterizing the complex web of ecological interactions is a central challenge in molecular ecology. Shotgun metagenomics of environmental samples offers a powerful, high‐resolution approach, yet its potential for simultaneously generating multiple genomic resources from different trophic levels remains underexplored. This study serves as a proof‐of‐concept, using deep sequencing of a single, complex sample—the larval food of the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula —to demonstrate the method's capacity to recover genomic information across varying template abundances. We successfully assembled three genomes of different completeness levels: a near‐complete bacterial genome ( Acetilactobacillus jinshanensis , 2,097,977 bp with 0.002% ambiguous bases), a draft mitochondrial genome ( T. angustula , 15,498–15,549 bp), and a fragmented chloroplast genome ( Lactuca sativa , 130,532 bp with 23.47% ambiguous bases). The assembly quality gradient, observed from complete to fragmented, directly reflects the relative abundance of each DNA template in the environmental sample, demonstrating the method's sensitivity and ecological informativeness. Beyond these genomic resources, the data provided a comprehensive biodiversity profile, revealing DNA from seven major taxonomic groups, including 209 bacterial genera, 123 plant families, and 55 insect taxa. Additionally, genomic comparisons using Average Nucleotide Identity (ANI) and digital DNA–DNA Hybridization (dDDH) analyses suggest that the dominant bacterial strain represents a putative novel species within the genus Acetilactobacillus . This approach simultaneously provided insights into host genetics, food sources, and microbial communities, illustrating the potential of single metagenomic datasets to generate multiple valuable genomic resources for molecular ecology research.
Antioxidant and anti-Alzheimer's potential of Tetragonisca angustula (Jataí) stingless bee pollen Natalia Carine Lima dos Santos, Serena Mares Malta, Rodrigo Rodrigues Franco, Heitor Cappato Guerra Silva, Matheus Henrique Silva, et al. Scientific Reports, 2024 Alzheimer's disease (AD) is considered the leading cause of dementia in the elderly worldwide. It results in progressive memory loss and impairment of cognitive and motor skills, leading to a high degree of disability and dependence. The development of AD is associated with the accumulation of senile plaques in the brain, caused by the amyloidogenic pathway of the disease. Several genetic and biochemical events are linked to AD development, with oxidative stress being one of them. Due to the scarcity of drugs aimed at treating AD, antioxidant compounds are increasingly studied as therapeutic targets for the disease. In this study, we investigate the antioxidant and anti-Alzheimer potential of the Tetragonisca angustula (Jataí) pollen extract in a Drosophila melanogaster Alzheimer's model. For this purpose, we utilized a D. melanogaster AD-like model, which expresses genes related to the amyloidogenic pathway of Alzheimer's disease. We explored the floral origin of the collected pollen, conducted phytochemical prospecting, and evaluated its antioxidant capacity in vitro. In vivo experiments involved assessing the survival and climbing ability of the D. melanogaster AD-like model with various concentrations of the pollen extract. Our findings revealed that the pollen extract of Tetragonisca angustula exhibits a significant antioxidant response and high concentrations of important phytochemicals, such as flavonoids and polyphenols. Furthermore, it enhanced the survival rate of D. melanogaster, and across all concentrations tested, it improved the climbing ability of the flies after 15 days of treatment with methanolic pollen extract. Additionally, the pollen extract reduced the neurodegeneration index in histopathological analysis. Thus, our study demonstrates the potential of Tetragonisca angustula pollen as an important subject for further investigation, aiming to isolate molecules that could potentially serve as therapeutic targets for Alzheimer's disease.
A Picky Generalist: Nesting Females of Pseudaugochlora graminea (Halictidae) are Highly Specialized in an Urban Léo Correia Rocha-Filho, Thayane Nogueira Araújo, Ana Luisa Sousa e Castro-Melo, Túlio Domingues Ferreira, Solange Cristina Augusto Sociobiology, 2024 Urban areas act as important shelters to support bee populations, but some guilds, such as generalist species, benefit more than others. We aimed to investigate if the floral preferences of a polylectic species would change throughout the years and if gardening practices such as mowing could affect the females’ floral preferences and, thus, the bee-plant interaction networks in an urban area within a medium- sized city in Brazil. Nesting females of Pseudaugochlora graminea (Fabricius) (Halictidae) were collected and had the pollen grains attached to their scopae removed, acetolyzed, and identified in two different periods: March 2019 and March 2022. Only five plant species were identified in samples from 2019, while 13 species were detected in 2022 despite mowing and plant replacements throughout three years. Among the floral sources observed, both exotic and native species were visited by females for pollen and nectar collection. Despite being a generalist species, all interaction networks between P. graminea females and plant species were highly specialized. Females concentrated their pollen gathering on a few plant species, represented by less than ten individuals in the study area. Mowing led to the destruction of the third most important pollen source in 2019. However, plant replacements may have favored females by some nectar sources seedlings. Our findings demonstrate that gardening practices impacted the floral choices of females of a generalist bee species, whose females established highly specialized interaction networks with plants in an urban area.
Pollen analysis of cavity-nesting bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) and their food webs in a city Léo C. da Rocha‐Filho, Paula C. Montagnana, Thayane N. Araújo, Diego Moure‐Oliveira, Danilo Boscolo, et al. Ecological Entomology, 2022 1. Urban areas can host speciose bee communities due partially to the species‐rich combination of both native and alien plant species found in these landscapes. However, in intensively‐constructed zones, it could be expected to record a low plant diversity used by bees because of the high proportion of paved surfaces in these areas.
Do Apis and non-Apis bees provide a similar contribution to crop production with different levels of pollination dependency? A review using meta-analysis Camila Nonato Junqueira, Rodrigo Augusto Santinelo Pereira, Rafael Carvalho da Silva, Renan Oliveira Alves Cardoso Kobal, Thayane Nogueira Araújo, et al. Ecological Entomology, 2022 1. Recent studies have demonstrated that the richness of pollinators in crop systems can improve productivity due to the effect of functional trait differences between species. These findings reinforce the potential effectiveness of integrated management of both Apis and non‐Apis bees to ensure global crop yields.
First report of a nest of Ceratina (Ceratinula) fioreseana Oliveira (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Léo C. Rocha-Filho, Thayane N. Araújo, Ana Luisa S. Castro-Melo, Solange C. Augusto Iheringia Serie Zoologia, 2022 We provide herein the first report of a nest of Ceratina (Ceratinula) fioreseana Oliveira, 2020, a species that was recently described for the Cerrado domain. The nest was collected in a Passiflora edulis Sims (Passifloraceae) plantation in Minas Gerais State, Brazil and was built in a trap nest, a dry petiole of Cecropia pachystachya Trécul (Urticaceae). Within the nest there was a living female and a brood cell without partition containing a pupa, whose adult female emerged 28 days after pupation. Pollen analysis revealed the dominance of Emilia fosbergii Nicolson (Asteraceae) pollen grains, a weed recorded a few meters from the nest. The record of an adult female within the nest with a pupa and the absence of nest partition might suggest social behavior in this bee species.
How do bees perceive flowers and why it is important? Lílian Rodrigues Ferreira Melo, Bárbara Matos da Cunha Guimarães, Gudryan Jackson Barônio, Larissa Chagas de Oliveira, Renan Kobal de Oliveira Alves Cardoso, et al. Oecologia Australis, 2018
