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Elisabeth Williamson

@dr-ewilliamson.bsky.social

Entomologist, Molecular ecologist, Evolutionary biologist.

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Invertebrate Systematics and Biodiversity Lab@invertebratelab.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Our postdoc @dr-ewilliamson.bsky.social's recent PhD study on an Australian native solitary bee, Megachile tosticauda, challenged a longheld assumption in insect biology: that all bees rely on a functional gut #microbiome. So what happens if it's missing? #bugsky invertebratelab.com/2026/02/24/a...

A bee without a gut microbiome

My recent PhD study on an Australian native solitary bee, Megachile tosticauda, challenges a longheld assumption in insect biology: that all bees rely on a functional gut microbiome. Toda…

invertebratelab.com

Elisabeth Williamson@dr-ewilliamson.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Transient, environmentally acquired microbes can benefit insect hosts - but not always. In solitary bee Megachile tosticauda, bacteria detected by sequencing are not metabolically active gut symbionts and are not required for development. Presence≠function. doi.org/10.1093/fems... @femsmicro.org

Experimental evidence for the absence of a functional gut microbiome in the solitary bee Megachile tosticauda

Abstract. The eusocial honey bee is a model for insect microbiome research, with socially transmitted gut communities that play key roles in health and dev

doi.org