Journal article
Uncovering Active Bacterial Symbionts in Three Species of Pollen-feeding Beetles (Nitidulidae: Meligethinae)
Microbial ecology
21 Jan 2022
PMID: 35059821
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Microbial symbionts enable many phytophagous insects to specialize on plant-based diets through a range of metabolic services. Pollen comprises one-plant tissue consumed by such herbivores. While rich in lipids and proteins, its nutrient content is often imbalanced and difficult-to-access due to a digestibly recalcitrant cell wall. Pollen quality can be further degraded by harmful allelochemicals. To identify microbes that may aid in palynivory, we performed cDNA-based 16S rRNA metabarcoding on three related pollen beetles (Nitidulidae: Meligethinae) exhibiting different dietary breadths: Brassicogethes aeneus, B. matronalis, and Meligethes atratus. Nine bacterial symbionts (i.e., 97% OTUs) exhibited high metabolic activity during active feeding. Subsequent PCR surveys revealed varying prevalence of those from three Rickettsialles genera-Lariskella, Rickettsia, and Wolbachia-within beetle populations. Our findings lay the groundwork for future studies on the influence of phylogeny and diet on palynivorous insect microbiomes, and roles of symbionts in the use of challenging diets.
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Details
- Title
- Uncovering Active Bacterial Symbionts in Three Species of Pollen-feeding Beetles (Nitidulidae: Meligethinae)
- Creators
- Emiliano Mancini - Sapienza University of RomeSimone Sabatelli - Sapienza University of RomeYi Hu - Beijing Normal UniversitySara Frasca - Sapienza University of RomeAndrea Di Giulio - Roma Tre UniversityPaolo Audisio - Sapienza University of RomeChristopher D. Brown - University of PennsylvaniaJacob A. Russell - Drexel UniversityMarco Trizzino - Thomas Jefferson University
- Publication Details
- Microbial ecology
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Number of pages
- 5
- Grant note
- 1442144 / NSF; National Science Foundation (NSF) CAL/2016 / "Roma Tre" University RP120172B8C07DF1 / "Sapienza" University of Rome
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biology
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000744768600001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85123306334
- Other Identifier
- 991019168909904721
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- Collaboration types
- Industry collaboration
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Ecology
- Marine & Freshwater Biology
- Microbiology