Metagenome results also indicated that G. apicola, Firm (Lactobacillus) and Bifidobacterium have many functional capabilities linked to carbohydrate breakdown, and proposed that the Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) group made up of Firm and Bifidobacterium was involved in nectar processing and metabolism of carbohydrates (Engel et al., 2012; Butler et al., 2013).