Good parenting of oil-collecting bees: microbial defense in nests of Centris bees?
Elif Kardas, Miguel Pacheco-Leiva, Allan Artavia‐León, Mauricio Fernández Otárola, Gabriel Vargas Asensio, James D. Ackerman, Adrian A. Pinto‐Tomás, Filipa Godoy‐Vitorino
The paper characterizes microbial communities in brood cells of Centris bees and identifies antimicrobial bacteria and fungi, suggesting maternal provisioning shapes these microenvironments.
bioRxiv · Apr 3, 2026 · PreprintEcology