Metagenomic Analysis of Bacterial Communities in Bee Bread in Türkiye

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the bacterial community structure in bee bread samples collected from 10 provinces of Türkiye using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and metagenomic analysis. Bacterial genomic DNA was extracted and sequenced using Illumina MiSeq. Bioinformatic analysis involved quality assessment, OTU classification, principal coordinate analysis (PCoA), and diversity index calculations. Heatmap and PCoA were utilized to explore the impact of locality and ecological zones on microbial diversity. Metagenomic analysis of 12 bee bread samples revealed 276,583 high-quality sequencing reads. The dominant bacterial phyla identified were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Firmicutes. At the genus level, Streptomyces, Streptococcus, Bacillus, and Synechococcus were the most abundant, with Streptomyces and Bacillus playing key roles in the fermentation process of bee bread. The Shannon diversity index (ranging from 2.92 to 4.26) and Simpson's index (0.83 to 0.95) indicated high species diversity and relative abundance in bee bread. The study underscores the need for locality-specific approaches in beekeeping management and highlights the potential significance of beneficial bacterial taxa, particularly those involved in fermentation, in contributing to the nutritional and health properties of bee bread. These findings provide a foundation for further research on the microbial dynamics that support bee colony health.