Mānuka plant, bees & New Zealand origin
Physiological stage drives fungal community dynamics and diversity in Leptospermum scoparium (mānuka) flowers
Authors: Justine L. Larrouy; Manpreet K. Dhami; Eirian E. Jones; Hayley J. Ridgway
PLAIN-LANGUAGE SUMMARY
Internal transcribed spacer 1 profiling followed flower-inhabiting fungal communities through five mānuka floral stages, from immature bud to spent flower, and into seed. Candidate core taxa persisted despite high turnover, while community composition and diversity changed as flowers matured and senesced.
Reported result
Floral stage was a strong driver of anthosphere fungal community assembly and dynamics, with persistent core taxa present across a changing niche.
Study design
plant-ecology
Mānuka plant, bees and New Zealand origin
Tested material
Mānuka floral samples spanning five physiological stages plus seed samples, profiled for fungal ITS1 communities; no retail honey was tested.
Limitations
The authors explicitly state that a broader range of mānuka lineages from different environments is needed to characterize the full core microbiota. The study concerned flowers and seed rather than finished honey.
Funding & conflicts
Funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment High Value Mānuka Honey Smart Ideas grant C11X1803. The authors declared no commercial or financial conflicts.
Applicability guardrail
Flower-community results do not establish finished-honey quality, authenticity, safety or a human health effect.
Scientific reference
Justine L. Larrouy; Manpreet K. Dhami; Eirian E. Jones; Hayley J. Ridgway (2023). Physiological stage drives fungal community dynamics and diversity in Leptospermum scoparium (mānuka) flowers. Environmental Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.16324
Editorial record
Responsible publisher: Manuka Drops Limited. Record updated: 2026-08-28. Retraction check recorded: 2026-08-27. Retraction status: checked-no-retraction-signal. Editorial status: published. Read the methodology.
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