DOI: 10.5061/dryad.s7h44j1gw
title: Metabarcoding data for gut microbiome and pollen from <em>Bombus terrestris</em> in Tasmania, Australia

description: Aim: Many social insects introduced beyond their native ranges
 have become globally invasive. The introduction of the eusocial European
 buff-tailed bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, to the island of Tasmania
 (Australia) ~30 years ago is of concern due to its ecological impacts and
 its potential to spill over pathogens to native bees or commercially
 important honeybees. The health and spread of B. terrestris is intricately
 connected with its gut microbiome, diet, and the environment. This study
 investigates how the gut microbiota of B. terrestris workers is affected
 by nutritional diversity (foraged pollen biome) and environmental
 variation across diverse landscapes in an invaded island system. Location:
 Tasmania, Australia Method: B. terrestris female workers were
 sampled from 19 sites across Tasmania, for which environmental data for
 seven variables were extracted. We obtained gut microbiome data for 16/19
 (N = 92 bees) sites using 16s rRNA metabarcoding, and ITS2 metabarcoding
 from foraged pollen to obtain flowering plant diversity from 17/19 sites.
  We examined how pollen diversity, environmental variables and
 their interactions influence gut bacterial diversity, richness and
 community composition. Results: Gut bacterial community composition and
 diversity were significantly predicted by site annual precipitation and
 percentage of pasture. Further, a positive interaction between site annual
 precipitation and site annual temperature significantly predicted gut
 bacterial diversity. The interaction effect of foraged pollen diversity
 and average summer wind velocity was also significantly and positively
 related to gut bacterial diversity. Following comparison of Akaike
 information criterion (AIC) and sum of weights, the percentage of pasture
 was the most strongly weighted variable, which, together with pollen
 diversity, negatively affected gut bacterial diversity. Conclusions: Our
 findings uncover how environmental interactions affect the gut microbiome
 of B. terrestris in an invaded landscape with novel nutritional resources.
 This contributes to understanding the factors that predict the spread and
 persistence of invasive bumblebees globally.
description: <em>B. terrestris </em>female workers were sampled
 from 19 sites across Tasmania, for which environmental data for seven
 variables were extracted. We obtained gut microbiome data for 16/19 (N =
 92 bees) sites using 16s rRNA metabarcoding, and ITS2 metabarcoding from
 foraged pollen to obtain flowering plant diversity from 17/19 sites.  Data
 were sequenced using Illumina MiSeq 2x150 bp.
description: # Metabarcoding data for gut microbiome and pollen from *Bombus
 terrestris* in Tasmania, Australia
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.s7h44j1gw](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.s7h44j1gw) ## Description of the data and file structure ASV tables for ITS2 foraged pollen-derived sequences from *Bombus terrestris* are provided, and ASV tables for 16s rRNA data from whole gut extractions from *Bombus terrestris*. Tables of alpha diversity per sample are provided for both the ITS2 and the 16s datasets Please see [https://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2024.09.08.611921v1](https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/s7rCCMwGj8Cq2RAE1twfEC8jCNx?domain=biorxiv.org) **File: Bombus-gut-alpha-diversity-estimates.csv** Alpha diversity estimates for the *B. terrestris* gut microbiome collected across sites in Tasmania, Australia, ascertained via 16S sequencing of dissected mid and hind gut. **File: Bombus-gut-ASV.csv** Table of Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) for the gut microbial taxa found in *B. terrestris* obtained via 16S sequencing. **File: Bombus-pollen-alpha-diversity-estimates.csv** Alpha diversity estimates of forage pollen collected from *B. terrestris*, pooled per site, ascertained via 1TS2 sequencing. **File: Bombus-pollen-ASV.csv** Table of Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) of pollen taxa identified using ITS2 sequencing of pooled foraged pollen collected from *B. terrestris* worker bees. ## Access information Data was derived from the following sources: *Bombus terrestris* collected from Tasmania. Further methods available at [https://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2024.09.08.611921v1](https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/s7rCCMwGj8Cq2RAE1twfEC8jCNx?domain=biorxiv.org)