Cognitive variability emerging from gut microbiota diversity in an insect society

The animal gut microbiota is diverse, hosting multiple bacterial species whose presence and abundance differ between individuals.

Over the past decade, evidence that the gut microbiota influences its host cognitive functions has accumulated but mostly relied on correlative studies in humans and laboratory research involving microbiota-free rodents.

It is therefore unclear whether inter-individual variation in gut microbiota composition supports cognitive variability in natural populations of non-human animals.

This project will leverage the honey bee model to bring ecological perspectives on the study of the microbiota-gut-brain axis while elucidating the neurobiological mechanisms by which gut microbiota diversity drives cognitive variability.

Honey bees offer a unique opportunity to finely manipulate gut microbiota composition using reconstituted gut bacterial communities.

Their social life fosters cognitive variability among individuals and provides an ideal system for assessing the ecological relevance of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in a real-world context.

The keystone of our naturalistic approach will be the implementation of mini hives allowing honey bees with reconstituted gut bacterial communities to forage in their natural environment.

We will search for bacterial species and their metabolic products affecting the neural processes supporting cognitive functions and foraging efficiency.

We will investigate the impact of gut microbiota composition and its associated cognitive variability on bees foraging behaviour and the fitness of the hive.

This multidisciplinary project will provide groundbreaking insights into the fields of cognitive ecology, neuroscience, gut microbiology, host-microbe symbiosis, and honey bee health.

Through this holistic approach, I aim to provide fresh perspectives on the interplay between gut bacteria, cognitive abilities, and ecological adaptation.