bees in trees,
if lucky enough to have a good size hollow, bees will build up the near the top, then fill the top with honey before they expand down (bees not silly, heat rises, trees well insulated from extremes of exterior environment). Assuming a good deep hollow, it is doubtful that bees would venture down into the cold un- bee regulated depths of the bottom of the hollow. In the bottom of the hollow where moisture will drip. Two types of organism are capable of creating the hollow, ie capable of breaking down lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose. One is the borers, chewers and biters like termites, beetle, and some birds. Borers often make initial hole, or a branch snaps off and can't heal quick enough, rain enters, fungi take over, and the as rain follows gravity, the fungal created hollow progresses downwards. The bottom of a tree would be the wet site of fungal decomposition- Fungi who are natures star recyclers, brilliant metabolisers of many complex chemicals inc hydrocarbons, so they will also munch down on any wax fallen and dead insects etc. The bottom of the hollow tree would have many different life forms in a complex, balanced microcosm.
I believe nothing exists in a vacuum, so it is without question that the fungal and bacterial based ecology would have some relationship with the bees above, but the relevant question is how relevant? I've got a few edible fungi, and countless other fungi species growing allover the property and I've seen chooks peck at them occasionally but not yet bees. I always wondered if fungus would be a part of their self serve pharmacy. It is without doubt that both bacteria and fungal species play a role in bee biome, and it is is also reasonable to assume that the biological community with a bees body would be influenced by her exterior environment- but how much overlap is there, how much passive or active maniupluation of the fungal or bacterial genome occurs within the bee? ( Recall bacteria can transfer genes horizontally, and also endosymbionant theory- the two greatest success straetgies of life as we know it- mitochondria and chloroplasts).
if lucky enough to have a good size hollow, bees will build up the near the top, then fill the top with honey before they expand down (bees not silly, heat rises, trees well insulated from extremes of exterior environment). Assuming a good deep hollow, it is doubtful that bees would venture down into the cold un- bee regulated depths of the bottom of the hollow. In the bottom of the hollow where moisture will drip. Two types of organism are capable of creating the hollow, ie capable of breaking down lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose. One is the borers, chewers and biters like termites, beetle, and some birds. Borers often make initial hole, or a branch snaps off and can't heal quick enough, rain enters, fungi take over, and the as rain follows gravity, the fungal created hollow progresses downwards. The bottom of a tree would be the wet site of fungal decomposition- Fungi who are natures star recyclers, brilliant metabolisers of many complex chemicals inc hydrocarbons, so they will also munch down on any wax fallen and dead insects etc. The bottom of the hollow tree would have many different life forms in a complex, balanced microcosm.
I believe nothing exists in a vacuum, so it is without question that the fungal and bacterial based ecology would have some relationship with the bees above, but the relevant question is how relevant? I've got a few edible fungi, and countless other fungi species growing allover the property and I've seen chooks peck at them occasionally but not yet bees. I always wondered if fungus would be a part of their self serve pharmacy. It is without doubt that both bacteria and fungal species play a role in bee biome, and it is is also reasonable to assume that the biological community with a bees body would be influenced by her exterior environment- but how much overlap is there, how much passive or active maniupluation of the fungal or bacterial genome occurs within the bee? ( Recall bacteria can transfer genes horizontally, and also endosymbionant theory- the two greatest success straetgies of life as we know it- mitochondria and chloroplasts).