The adaptation of bumblebees to extremely high elevation associated with their gut microbiota

Abstract

Two closely related and dominant bumblebee species, distributed at different elevations through the Hengduan Mountains of southwestern China, showed a clear genomic signature of adaptation to elevation at the molecular level and significant differences in their respective microbiota. Species replacement occurred in both hosts and their bacteria ( Snodgrassella ) with an increase in elevation. Bumblebees’ adaptations to higher elevations are closely associated with their gut microbiota through two biological processes: energy metabolism and immune response. Information allowing us to understand the adaptive mechanisms of species to extreme conditions is implicit if we are to conserve them as their environments change.