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Shamjana U, Vasu DA, Hembrom PS, Nayak K, Grace T. The role of insect gut microbiota in host fitness, detoxification and nutrient supplementation. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek 2024; 117:71. [PMID: 38668783 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-024-01970-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Insects are incredibly diverse, ubiquitous and have successfully flourished out of the dynamic and often unpredictable nature of evolutionary processes. The resident microbiome has accompanied the physical and biological adaptations that enable their continued survival and proliferation in a wide array of environments. The host insect and microbiome's bidirectional relationship exhibits their capability to influence each other's physiology, behavior and characteristics. Insects are reported to rely directly on the microbial community to break down complex food, adapt to nutrient-deficit environments, protect themselves from natural adversaries and control the expression of social behavior. High-throughput metagenomic approaches have enhanced the potential for determining the abundance, composition, diversity and functional activities of microbial fauna associated with insect hosts, enabling in-depth investigation into insect-microbe interactions. We undertook a review of some of the major advances in the field of metagenomics, focusing on insect-microbe interaction, diversity and composition of resident microbiota, the functional capability of endosymbionts and discussions on different symbiotic relationships. The review aims to be a valuable resource on insect gut symbiotic microbiota by providing a comprehensive understanding of how insect gut symbionts systematically perform a range of functions, viz., insecticide degradation, nutritional support and immune fitness. A thorough understanding of manipulating specific gut symbionts may aid in developing advanced insect-associated research to attain health and design strategies for pest management.
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Affiliation(s)
- U Shamjana
- Department of Genomic Science, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, 671316, India
| | - Deepa Azhchath Vasu
- Department of Genomic Science, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, 671316, India
| | - Preety Sweta Hembrom
- Department of Genomic Science, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, 671316, India
| | - Karunakar Nayak
- Department of Genomic Science, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, 671316, India
| | - Tony Grace
- Department of Genomic Science, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, 671316, India.
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Hafer‐Hahmann N, Vorburger C. Parasitoid species diversity has no effect on protective symbiont diversity in experimental host-parasitoid populations. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11090. [PMID: 38455147 PMCID: PMC10918731 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
How does diversity in nature come about? One factor contributing to this diversity are species interactions; diversity on one trophic level can shape diversity on lower or higher trophic levels. For example, parasite diversity enhances host immune diversity. Insect protective symbionts mediate host resistance and are, therefore, also engaged in reciprocal selection with their host's parasites. Here, we applied experimental evolution in a well-known symbiont-aphid-parasitoid system to study whether parasitoid diversity contributes to maintaining symbiont genetic diversity. We used caged populations of black bean aphids (Aphis fabae), containing uninfected individuals and individuals infected with different strains of the bacterial endosymbiont Hamiltonella defensa, which protects aphids against parasitoids. Over multiple generations, these populations were exposed to three different species of parasitoid wasps (Aphidius colemani, Binodoxys acalephae or Lysiphlebus fabarum), simultaneous or sequential mixtures of these species or no wasps. Surprisingly, we observed little selection for H. defensa in most treatments, even when it clearly provided protection against a fatal parasitoid infection. This seemed to be caused by high induced costs of resistance: aphids surviving parasitoid attacks suffered an extreme reduction in fitness. In marked contrast to previous studies looking at the effect of different genotypes of a single parasitoid species, we found little evidence for a diversifying effect of multiple parasitoid species on symbiont diversity in hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Hafer‐Hahmann
- EAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and TechnologyDübendorfSwitzerland
- Department of BiologyUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
| | - Christoph Vorburger
- EAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and TechnologyDübendorfSwitzerland
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH ZürichZürichSwitzerland
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Donner SH, Slingerland M, Beekman MM, Comte A, Dicke M, Zwaan BJ, Pannebakker BA, Verhulst EC. Aphid populations are frequently infected with facultative endosymbionts. Environ Microbiol 2024; 26:e16599. [PMID: 38459641 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
The occurrence of facultative endosymbionts has been studied in many commercially important crop pest aphids, but their occurrence and effects in non-commercial aphid species in natural populations have received less attention. We screened 437 aphid samples belonging to 106 aphid species for the eight most common facultative aphid endosymbionts. We found one or more facultative endosymbionts in 53% (56 of 106) of the species investigated. This likely underestimates the situation in the field because facultative endosymbionts are often present in only some colonies of an aphid species. Oligophagous aphid species carried facultative endosymbionts significantly more often than monophagous species. We did not find a significant correlation between ant tending and facultative endosymbiont presence. In conclusion, we found that facultative endosymbionts are common among aphid populations. This study is, to our knowledge, the first of its kind in the Netherlands and provides a basis for future research in this field. For instance, it is still unknown in what way many of these endosymbionts affect their hosts, which is important for determining the importance of facultative endosymbionts to community dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Helena Donner
- Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Marijn Slingerland
- Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Mariska M Beekman
- Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Arthur Comte
- Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Marcel Dicke
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Bas J Zwaan
- Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Bart A Pannebakker
- Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Eveline C Verhulst
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
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Martinez-Chavez LM, Roberts JM, Karley AJ, Shaw B, Pope TW. The clip cage conundrum: Assessing the interplay of confinement method and aphid genotype in fitness studies. INSECT SCIENCE 2024. [PMID: 38227545 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Behavior and fitness are important ecological traits frequently measured in insect bioassays. A common method to measure them in soft-bodied herbivorous insects involves confining individuals to plant leaves using clip cages. Although studies have previously highlighted the negative effects of clip cages on leaf physiology, little is known about the impact that using this confinement method has on insect fitness. The responses of different aphid genotypes/clones to different containment methods have not previously been investigated. Here we measured key fitness traits (intrinsic rate of natural increase, mean relative growth rate, time to reach reproductive adulthood and population doubling time) in the potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae Thomas (Hemiptera: Aphididae), when confined to plants using two methods: (1) clip cages to confine aphids to individual strawberry leaves and (2) a mesh bag to confine aphids to whole strawberry plants. Our study identified a strong negative impact on all the measured aphid fitness traits when using clip cages instead of mesh bags. We also identified genotype-specific differences in response to confinement method, where clip cage confinement differentially affected the fitness of a given aphid genotype compared to the same genotype on whole plants. These results suggest that clip cage use should be carefully considered when experiments seek to quantify insect fitness and that whole plants should be used wherever possible. Given the prevalence of clip cage use in insect bioassays, our results highlight the need for caution when interpreting the existing literature as confinement method significantly impacts aphid fitness depending on their genotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Marcela Martinez-Chavez
- Centre for Crop and Environmental Science, Agriculture and Environment Department, Harper Adams University, Newport, Shropshire, UK
| | - Joe M Roberts
- Centre for Crop and Environmental Science, Agriculture and Environment Department, Harper Adams University, Newport, Shropshire, UK
| | - Alison J Karley
- Ecological Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, UK
| | - Bethan Shaw
- Pest and Pathogen Ecology, NIAB, East Malling, Kent, UK
| | - Tom W Pope
- Centre for Crop and Environmental Science, Agriculture and Environment Department, Harper Adams University, Newport, Shropshire, UK
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Lange C, Boyer S, Bezemer TM, Lefort MC, Dhami MK, Biggs E, Groenteman R, Fowler SV, Paynter Q, Verdecia Mogena AM, Kaltenpoth M. Impact of intraspecific variation in insect microbiomes on host phenotype and evolution. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:1798-1807. [PMID: 37660231 PMCID: PMC10579242 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01500-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
Microbes can be an important source of phenotypic plasticity in insects. Insect physiology, behaviour, and ecology are influenced by individual variation in the microbial communities held within the insect gut, reproductive organs, bacteriome, and other tissues. It is becoming increasingly clear how important the insect microbiome is for insect fitness, expansion into novel ecological niches, and novel environments. These investigations have garnered heightened interest recently, yet a comprehensive understanding of how intraspecific variation in the assembly and function of these insect-associated microbial communities can shape the plasticity of insects is still lacking. Most research focuses on the core microbiome associated with a species of interest and ignores intraspecific variation. We argue that microbiome variation among insects can be an important driver of evolution, and we provide examples showing how such variation can influence fitness and health of insects, insect invasions, their persistence in new environments, and their responses to global environmental changes. A and B are two stages of an individual or a population of the same species. The drivers lead to a shift in the insect associated microbial community, which has consequences for the host. The complex interplay of those consequences affects insect adaptation and evolution and influences insect population resilience or invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Lange
- Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand.
| | - Stéphane Boyer
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR 7261 CNRS - Université de Tours, Tours, France
| | - T Martijn Bezemer
- Above-Belowground Interactions Group, Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Eva Biggs
- Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | | | | | | | | | - Martin Kaltenpoth
- Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
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Li T, Wei Y, Zhao C, Li S, Gao S, Zhang Y, Wu Y, Lu C. Facultative symbionts are potential agents of symbiont-mediated RNAi in aphids. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1020461. [PMID: 36504780 PMCID: PMC9727308 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1020461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Aphids are major crop pests, and they can be controlled through the application of the promising RNA interference (RNAi) techniques. However, chemical synthesis yield of dsRNA for RNAi is low and costly. Another sustainable aphid pest control strategy takes advantage of symbiont-mediated RNAi (SMR), which can generate dsRNA by engineered microbes. Aphid host the obligate endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola and various facultative symbionts that not only have a wide host range but are also vertically and horizontally transmitted. Thus, we described the potential of facultative symbionts in aphid pest control by SMR. We summarized the community and host range of these facultative symbionts, and then reviewed their probable horizontal transmitted routes and ecological functions. Moreover, recent advances in the cultivation and genetic engineering of aphid facultative symbionts were discussed. In addition, current legislation of dsRNA-based pest control strategies and their safety assessments were reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Li
- Institute of Plant Protection, Henan Key Laboratory of Crop Pest Control/Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Southern Region of North China, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yongjun Wei
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Chenchen Zhao
- Henan International Laboratory for Green Pest Control /College of Plant Protection, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Shaojian Li
- Institute of Plant Protection, Henan Key Laboratory of Crop Pest Control/Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Southern Region of North China, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Suxia Gao
- Institute of Plant Protection, Henan Key Laboratory of Crop Pest Control/Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Southern Region of North China, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yuanchen Zhang
- College of Biological and Food Engineering, Anyang Institute of Technology, Anyang, China
| | - Yuqing Wu
- Institute of Plant Protection, Henan Key Laboratory of Crop Pest Control/Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Southern Region of North China, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Chuantao Lu
- Institute of Plant Protection, Henan Key Laboratory of Crop Pest Control/Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Southern Region of North China, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, China,Chuantao Lu
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Clavé C, Sugio A, Morlière S, Pincebourde S, Simon J, Foray V. Physiological costs of facultative endosymbionts in aphids assessed from energy metabolism. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Corentin Clavé
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l’Insecte, UMR 7261, CNRS Université de Tours Tours France
- Department of Agricultural Sciences University of Naples Federico II Portici Italy
| | - Akiko Sugio
- IGEPP, Agrocampus Ouest, INRA Université de Rennes 1 Le Rheu France
| | | | - Sylvain Pincebourde
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l’Insecte, UMR 7261, CNRS Université de Tours Tours France
| | | | - Vincent Foray
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l’Insecte, UMR 7261, CNRS Université de Tours Tours France
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