Geographic variation in bacterial communities associated with the red turpentine beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Biotechnological potential of actinomycetes in the 21st century: a brief review

This brief review aims to draw attention to the biotechnological potential of actinomycetes. Their main uses as sources of antibiotics and in agriculture would be enough not to neglect them; however, as we will see, their biotechnological application is much broader. Far from intending to exhaust this issue, we present a short survey of the research involving actinomycetes and their applications published in the last 23 years. We highlight a perspective for the discovery of new active ingredients or new applications for the known metabolites of these microorganisms that, for approximately 80 years, since the discovery of streptomycin, have been the main source of antibiotics. Based on the collected data, we organize the text to show how the cosmopolitanism of actinomycetes and the evolutionary biotic and abiotic ecological relationships of actinomycetes translate into the expression of metabolites in the environment and the richness of biosynthetic gene clusters, many of which remain silenced in traditional laboratory cultures. We also present the main strategies used in the twenty-first century to promote the expression of these silenced genes and obtain new secondary metabolites from known or new strains. Many of these metabolites have biological activities relevant to medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology industries, including candidates for new drugs or drug models against infectious and non-infectious diseases. Below, we present significant examples of the antimicrobial spectrum of actinomycetes, which is the most commonly investigated and best known, as well as their non-antimicrobial spectrum, which is becoming better known and increasingly explored.

Host-plant adaptation in xylophagous insect-microbiome systems: Contributionsof longicorns and gut symbionts revealed by parallel metatranscriptome

Adaptation to host plants is of great significance in the ecology of xylophagous insects. The specific adaptation to woody tissues is made possible through microbial symbionts. We investigated the potential roles of detoxification, lignocellulose degradation, and nutrient supplementation of Monochamus saltuarius and its gut symbionts in host plant adaptation using metatranscriptome. The gut microbial community structure of M. saltuarius that fed on the two plant species were found to be different. Plant compound detoxification and lignocellulose degradation genes have been identified in both beetles and gut symbionts. Most differentially expressed genes associated with host plant adaptations were up-regulated in larvae fed on the less suitable host (Pinus tabuliformis) compared to larvae fed on the suitable host (Pinus koraiensis). Our findings indicated that M. saltuarius and its gut microbes respond to plant secondary substances through systematic transcriptome responses, allowing them to adapt to unsuitable host plants.

Dynamic changes in species richness and community diversity of symbiotic bacteria in five reproductive morphs of cotton aphid Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Introduction

Reproductive polymorphism and symbiotic bacteria are commonly observed in aphids, but their interaction remains largely unclear. In polymorphic aphid species (Aphis gossypii), offspring of parthenogenetic females (PFs) develops into sexuparae which produces gynoparae and males successively. Gynoparae further produces sexual females (SFs), and these sexual females mate with males to produce offspring.

Methods

In this study, we investigated the dynamic changes of symbiotic bacteria during the above-mentioned five reproductive morph switch in A. gossypii via 16S rRNA sequencing technology.

Results

The results showed that species richness and community diversity of symbiotic bacteria in males were the highest. Proteobacteria was absolutely dominant bacterial phylum (with relative abundance of more than 90%) in the five reproductive morphs of A. gossypii, and Buchnera was absolutely dominant genus (with relative abundance of >90%), followed by Rhodococcus, Pseudomonas, and Pantoea. Male-killing symbiont Arsenophonus presented the highest relative abundance in gynoparae, a specific morph whose offsprings were exclusively sexual females. Both principal component analysis (PCA) and clustering analysis showed trans-generation similarity in microbial community structure between sexuparae and sexual females, between PFs and gynoparae. PICRUSt 2 analysis showed that symbiotic bacteria in the five reproductive morphs were mainly enriched in metabolic pathways.

Discussion

Reproductive morph switch induced by environmental changes might be associated with bacterial community variation and sexual polymorphism of aphids. This study provides a new perspective for further deciphering the interactions between microbes and reproductive polymorphism in host aphids.

Gut bacterial communities and their assembly processing in Cnaphalocrocis medinalis from different geographic sources

Introduction

The insect gut harbors numerous microorganisms that may have functions in development and reproduction, digestion, immunity and protection, and detoxification. Recently, the influence factors on gut microbiota were evaluated in the rice leaffolder Cnaphalocrocis medinalis, a widespread insect pest in paddy fields. However, the relationship between gut microbiota composition and geography is poorly understood in C. medinalis.

Methods

To reveal the patterns of C. medinalis gut bacterial communities across geographic sources and the ecological processes driving the patterns, C. medinalis were sampled from six geographic sources in China, Thailand, and Vietnam in 2016, followed by gut bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing.

Results

A total of 22 bacterial phyla, 56 classes, 84 orders, 138 families, 228 genera, and 299 species were generated in C. medinalis from six geographic sources. All alpha diversity indices differed among the samples from different geographic sources. Analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) and permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) both revealed significant differences in the gut microbiota of C. medinalis from six geographic sources. A total of 94 different taxa were screened as indicators for the gut microbiota of C. medinalis from six geographic sources by linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe). The gene ontology (GO) pathways of the gut microbiota in C. medinalis differed among geographic sources. In total, the bacterial communities within geographic sources were mainly determined by stochastic processes, and those between geographic sources were mainly determined by deterministic processes.

Discussion

This study elucidates that geography plays a crucial role in shaping the gut microbiota of C. medinalis. Thus, it enriches our knowledge of gut bacteria in C. medinalis and sheds light on the mechanisms underlying C. medinalis gut microbial shifts across geography.

Chromosome-level genome assembly and population genomic analyses provide insights into adaptive evolution of the red turpentine beetle, Dendroctonus valens

BACKGROUND

Biological invasions are responsible for substantial environmental and economic losses. The red turpentine beetle (RTB), Dendroctonus valens LeConte, is an important invasive bark beetle from North America that has caused substantial tree mortality in China. The lack of a high-quality reference genome seriously limits deciphering the extent to which genetic adaptions resulted in a secondary pest becoming so destructive in its invaded area.

RESULTS

Here, we present a 322.41 Mb chromosome-scale reference genome of RTB, of which 98% of assembled sequences are anchored onto fourteen linkage groups including the X chromosome with a N50 size of 24.36 Mb, which is significantly greater than other Coleoptera species. Repetitive sequences make up 45.22% of the genome, which is higher than four other Coleoptera species, i.e., Mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae, red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, blister beetle Hycleus cichorii, and Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata. We identify rapidly expanded gene families and positively selected genes in RTB, which may be responsible for its rapid environmental adaptation. Population genetic structure of RTB was revealed by genome resequencing of geographic populations in native and invaded regions, suggesting substantial divergence of the North American population and illustrates the possible invasion and spread route in China. Selective sweep analysis highlighted the enhanced ability of Chinese populations in environmental adaptation.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, our high-quality reference genome represents an important resource for genomics study of invasive bark beetles, which will facilitate the functional study and decipher mechanism underlying invasion success of RTB by integrating the Pinus tabuliformis genome.

Environment Shapes the Microbiome of the Blue Orchard Bee, Osmia lignaria : RRH: Environmental Drivers of Bee Microbiome

Wild bees encounter environmental microbes while foraging. While environmental context affects bee diversity, little is known about it how affects the wild bee microbiome. We used field surveys in 17 urban gardens to examine whether and how variation in local and landscape habitat features shapes the microbiome of the solitary Blue Orchard Bee, Osmia lignaria. We installed O. lignaria cocoons at each site, allowed bees to emerge and forage, then collected them. We measured local features of gardens using vegetation transects and landscape features with GIS. We found that in microbiome composition between bee individuals varied by environmental features such as natural habitat, floral resources, and bee species richness. We also found that environmental features were associated with the abundance of bacterial groups important for bee health, such as Lactobacillus. Our study highlights complex interactions between environment context, bee species diversity, and the bee-associated microbes.

Differences in Gut Bacterial Communities of Ips typographus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Induced by Enantiomer-Specific α-Pinene

The spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus L.) is a destructive pest of Eurasian spruce forests. Although the gut bacteria of this insect are considered to play important roles in its lifecycle, the relationship between I. typographus and its gut bacterial community is poorly characterized. In this study, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to determine gut bacterial community composition across successive I. typographus life stages. Responses of the gut bacteria to α-pinene enantiomers were also explored. Ips typographus gut bacterial populations were dominated by the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria, and the relative abundance of these phyla varied across different developmental stages of the beetle. Bacterial species diversity and richness indices increased with developmental stage progression. Relative abundances of the dominant genera, Erwinia (Enterobacteriales: Enterobacteriaceae), Pseudoxanthomonas (Xanthomonadales: Xanthomonadaceae), Serratia (Enterobacteriales: Enterobacteriaceae), and Romboutsia (Clostridiales: Peptostreptococcaceae), also varied across successive I. typographus life stages. Large disparities in the gut bacterial community of male adults were observed when the beetles were treated with S-(-)-α-pinene and R-(+)-α-pinene. The relative abundances of Lactococcus (Lactobacillales: Streptococcaceae) and Lelliottia (Enterobacteriales: Enterobacteriaceae) increased drastically with R-(+)-α-pinene and S-(-)-α-pinene treatment, respectively. This indicated a distinct enantiomer-specific effect of α-pinene on the I. typographus gut bacteria. This study demonstrated the plasticity of gut bacteria during I. typographus development, when α-pinene host monoterpenes are encountered. This study provides new insights into the relationship between 'I. typographus-gut bacteria' symbionts and host trees.

Most dominant roles of insect gut bacteria: digestion, detoxification, or essential nutrient provision?

BACKGROUND

The insect gut microbiota has been shown to contribute to the host's digestion, detoxification, development, pathogen resistance, and physiology. However, there is poor information about the ranking of these roles. Most of these results were obtained with cultivable bacteria, whereas the bacterial physiology may be different between free-living and midgut-colonizing bacteria. In this study, we provided both proteomic and genomic evidence on the ranking of the roles of gut bacteria by investigating the anal droplets from a weevil, Cryptorhynchus lapathi.

RESULTS

The gut lumen and the anal droplets showed qualitatively and quantitatively different subsets of bacterial communities. The results of 16S rRNA sequencing showed that the gut lumen is dominated by Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, whereas the anal droplets are dominated by Proteobacteria. From the anal droplets, enzymes involved in 31 basic roles that belong to 7 super roles were identified by Q-TOF MS. The cooperation between the weevil and its gut bacteria was determined by reconstructing community pathway maps, which are defined in this study. A score was used to rank the gut bacterial roles. The results from the proteomic data indicate that the most dominant role of gut bacteria is amino acid biosynthesis, followed by protein digestion, energy metabolism, vitamin biosynthesis, lipid digestion, plant secondary metabolite (PSM) degradation, and carbohydrate digestion, while the order from the genomic data is amino acid biosynthesis, vitamin biosynthesis, lipid digestion, energy metabolism, protein digestion, PSM degradation, and carbohydrate digestion. The PCA results showed that the gut bacteria form functional groups from the point of view of either the basic role or super role, and the MFA results showed that there are functional variations among gut bacteria. In addition, the variations between the proteomic and genomic data, analyzed with the HMFA method from the point of view of either the bacterial community or individual bacterial species, are presented.

CONCLUSION

The most dominant role of gut bacteria is essential nutrient provisioning, followed by digestion and detoxification. The weevil plays a pioneering role in diet digestion and mainly digests macromolecules into smaller molecules which are then mainly digested by gut bacteria.

Gut bacteria of weevils developing on plant roots under extreme desert conditions

BACKGROUND

Many phytophagous insects, whose diet is generally nitrogen-poor, rely on gut bacteria to compensate for nutritional deficits. Accordingly, we hypothesized that insects in desert environments may evolve associations with gut bacteria to adapt to the extremely low nutrient availability. For this, we conducted a systematic survey of bacterial communities in the guts of weevils developing inside mud chambers affixed to plant roots in the Negev Desert of Israel, based on 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing.

RESULTS

Our analyses revealed that gut bacterial communities in weevil larvae were similar across a wide geographical range, but differed significantly from those of the mud chambers and of the surrounding soils. Nevertheless, a high proportion of bacteria (including all of the core bacteria) found in the weevils were also detected in the mud chambers and soils at low relative abundances. The genus Citrobacter (of the Enterobacteriaceae family) was the predominant group in the guts of all individual weevils. The relative abundance of Citrobacter significantly decreased at the pupal and adult stages, while bacterial diversity increased. A mini literature survey revealed that members of the genus Citrobacter are associated with nitrogen fixation, recycling of uric acid nitrogen, and cellulose degradation in different insects.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that although weevils could potentially acquire their gut bacteria from the soil, weevil host internal factors, rather than external environmental factors, were more important in shaping their gut bacterial communities, and suggest a major role for Citrobacter in weevil nutrition in this challenging environment. This study highlights the potential involvement of gut bacteria in the adaptation of insects to nutritional deficiencies under extreme desert conditions.

High-Resolution Profiling of Gut Bacterial Communities in an Invasive Beetle using PacBio SMRT Sequencing System

Dendroctonus valens, an invasive bark beetle, has caused severe damage to Chinese forests. Previous studies have highlighted the importance of the gut microbiota and its fundamental role in host fitness. Culture-dependent and culture-independent methods have been applied in analyzing beetles’ gut microbiota. The former method cannot present a whole picture of the community, and the latter mostly generates short read lengths that cannot be assigned to species. Here, the PacBio sequencing system was utilized to capture full-length 16S rRNA sequences in D. valens gut throughout its ontogeny. A total of eight phyla, 55 families, 102 genera, and 253 species were identified. Bacterial communities in colonized beetles have the greatest richness but the lowest evenness in all life stages, which is different from those in young larvae. Pseudomonas sp., Serratia liquefaciens possess high abundance throughout its ontogeny and may serve as members of the core bacteriome. A phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved states (PICRUSt) analysis predicted that gut microbiota in larvae are rich in genes involved in carbohydrate, energy metabolism. Gut microbiota in both larvae and colonized beetles are rich in xenobiotics and terpenoids biodegradation, which are decreased in dispersal beetles. Considering that the results are based mainly on the analysis of 16S rRNA sequencing and PICRUSt prediction, further confirmation is needed to improve the knowledge of the gut microbiota in D. valens and help to resolve taxonomic uncertainty at the species level.

Pyrosequencing Uncovers a Shift in Bacterial Communities Across Life Stages of Octodonta nipae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Bacterial symbionts of insects affect a wide array of host traits including fitness and immunity. Octodonta nipae (Maulik), commonly known as hispid leaf beetle is a destructive palm pest around the world. Understanding the dynamics of microbiota is essential to unravel the complex interplay between O. nipae and its bacterial symbionts. In this study, bacterial 16S rRNA V3-V4 region was targeted to decipher the diversity and dynamics of bacterial symbionts across different life stages [eggs, larvae, pupae, and adult (male and female)] and reproductive organs (ovaries and testis) of O. nipae. Clustering analysis at ≥97% similarity threshold produced 3,959 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) that belonged to nine different phyla. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes represented the bulk of taxa that underwent notable changes during metamorphosis. Enterobacteriaceae and Dermabacteraceae were the most abundant families in immature stages (eggs, larvae, and pupae), while Anaplasmataceae family was dominated in adults (male and female) and reproductive organs (ovaries and testis). The genus Serratia and Lactococcus were most abundant in eggs, whereas Pantoea and Brachybacterium represented the bulk of larvae and pupae microbiota. Interestingly the genus Wolbachia found positive to all tested samples and was recorded extremely high (>64%) in the adults and reproductive organs. The bacteria varied across the developmental stages and responsible for various metabolic activities. Selection choice exerted by the insect host as a result of its age or developmental stage could be the main reason to ascertain the shift in the bacteria populations. Maternally inherited Wolbachia was found to be an obligate endosymbiont infecting all tested life stages, body parts, and tissues. These outcomes foster our understanding of the intricate associations between bacteria and O. nipae and will incorporate in devising novel pest control strategies against this palm pest.

First insight into microbiome profile of fungivorous thrips Hoplothrips carpathicus (Insecta: Thysanoptera) at different developmental stages: molecular evidence of Wolbachia endosymbiosis

Insects' exoskeleton, gut, hemocoel, and cells are colonized by various microorganisms that often play important roles in their host life. Moreover, insects are frequently infected by vertically transmitted symbionts that can manipulate their reproduction. The aims of this study were the characterization of bacterial communities of four developmental stages of the fungivorous species Hoplothrips carpathicus (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae), verification of the presence of Wolbachia, in silico prediction of metabolic potentials of the microorganisms, and sequencing its mitochondrial COI barcode. Taxonomy-based analysis indicated that the bacterial community of H. carpathicus contained 21 bacterial phyla. The most abundant phyla were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacterioidetes and Firmicutes, and the most abundant classes were Alphaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria, with different proportions in the total share. For pupa and imago (adult) the most abundant genus was Wolbachia, which comprised 69.95% and 56.11% of total bacterial population respectively. Moreover, similarity analysis of bacterial communities showed that changes in microbiome composition are congruent with the successive stages of H. carpathicus development. PICRUSt analysis predicted that each bacterial community should be rich in genes involved in membrane transport, amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, replication and repair processes.

Gut Bacterial Communities of Dendroctonus valens and D. mexicanus (Curculionidae: Scolytinae): A Metagenomic Analysis across Different Geographical Locations in Mexico

Dendroctonus bark beetles are a worldwide significant pest of conifers. This genus comprises 20 species found in North and Central America, and Eurasia. Several studies have documented the microbiota associated with these bark beetles, but little is known regarding how the gut bacterial communities change across host range distribution. We use pyrosequencing to characterize the gut bacterial communities associated with six populations of Dendroctonus valens and D. mexicanus each across Mexico, determine the core bacteriome of both insects and infer the metabolic pathways of these communities with Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt) to evaluate whether these routes are conserved across geographical locations. Our results show that the β-diversity with UniFrac unweighted varies among locations of both bark beetles mainly due to absence/presence of some rare taxa. No association is found between the pairwise phylogenetic distance of bacterial communities and geographic distance. A strict intraspecific core bacteriome is determined for each bark beetle species, but these cores are different in composition and abundance. However, both bark beetles share the interspecific core bacteriome recorded previously for the Dendroctonus genus consisting of Enterobacter, Pantoea, Providencia, Pseudomonas, Rahnella, and Serratia. The predictions of metabolic pathways are the same in the different localities, suggesting that they are conserved through the geographical locations.

Pine Engravers Carry Bacterial Communities Whose Members Reduce Concentrations of Host Monoterpenes With Variable Degrees of Redundancy, Specificity, and Capability

Bark beetles are eruptive forest insects that have the potential to cause landscape level mortality to conifer forests. The pine engraver, Ips pini (Say) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is the predominant pest of mature red pine (Pinus resinosa Aiton) plantations throughout the Great Lakes region of North America. Pine engraver attack elicits a localized response by host trees in which concentrations of terpenes rapidly exceed the tolerance levels of beetles and their fungal associates. We considered how bacterial associates degrade these toxins from the perspective of the symbiont communities of individual beetles. We demonstrate that 1) most pine engravers harbor bacterial communities that reduce monoterpene concentrations in vivo; 2) several individual bacterial isolates can reduce monoterpenes even at high concentrations; and 3) bacteria isolated from pine engravers are similar to those found in other bark beetles. Bacteria isolated from pine engravers decreased concentrations of (-)-α-pinene, myrcene, and 3-carene. Most beetles carried at least one bacterial isolate that reduced concentrations of at least one monoterpene. Different bacteria vary in the uppermost concentrations at which they can degrade monoterpenes. The community of bacteria associated with an individual beetle appears to have some manner of functional redundancy that could collectively increase the likelihood of successful host colonization.

Community structure of gut bacteria of Dendroctonus armandi (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) larvae during overwintering stage

Survival rate at low temperature becomes a crucial strategy since temperature change often leads to fluctuations in the insect population. Microbes play important roles in the process of resisting low temperature. In this study, we analyzed gut bacterial communities from Chinese white pine beetle Dendroctonus armandi which remained overwintering process under natural conditions from October 2015 to January 2016, monthly, in the Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi, China using Illumina MiSeq sequencing. A total of 835,227 high-quality sequences and 48 singleton operational taxonomic units were obtained. Gut bacterial communities showed variation in relative abundance during the overwintering stage. As ambient temperature declined, Proteobacteria (mostly γ-proteobacteria) became the predominant phylum in the larvae guts, and followed with Actinobacteria and Firmicutes, respectively. In particular, there was no Deinococcus-Thermus in January 2016. Thermoleophilia appeared in November and December 2015, but not for October 2015 and January 2016, nor did δ-proteobacteria. By contrast, gut bacterial community compositions increased in relative abundance in November and December 2015. This study provided initial evidence that gut bacterial communities were associated with the larvae overwintering process at low temperature. Moreover, no complementary studies combining overwintering process of Coleoptera insect and high-throughput sequencing were carried out, paying particular attention to insect in cold season.

Revealing the gut bacteriome of Dendroctonus bark beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae): diversity, core members and co-evolutionary patterns

Dendroctonus bark beetles comprise 20 taxonomically recognized species, which are one of the most destructive pine forest pests in North and Central America, and Eurasia. The aims of this study were to characterize the gut bacterial diversity, to determine the core bacteriome and to explore the ecological association between these bacteria and bark beetles. A total of five bacterial phyla were identified in the gut of 13 Dendroctonus species; Proteobacteria was the most abundant, followed by Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, Actinobacteria and Deinococcus-Thermus. The α-diversity was low as demonstrated in previous studies and significant differences in β-diversity were observed. The core bacteriome was composed of Enterobacter, Pantoea, Pseudomonas, Rahnella, Raoultella, and Serratia. The tanglegram between bacteria and bark beetles suggests that members of bacterial community are acquired from the environment, possibly from the host tree. These findings improve the knowledge about the bacterial community composition, and provide the bases to study the metabolic functions of these bacteria, as well as their interaction with these bark beetles.

Evidence for Widespread Associations between Neotropical Hymenopteran Insects and Actinobacteria

The evolutionary success of hymenopteran insects has been associated with complex physiological and behavioral defense mechanisms against pathogens and parasites. Among these strategies are symbiotic associations between Hymenoptera and antibiotic-producing Actinobacteria, which provide protection to insect hosts. Herein, we examine associations between culturable Actinobacteria and 29 species of tropical hymenopteran insects that span five families, including Apidae (bees), Vespidae (wasps), and Formicidae (ants). In total, 197 Actinobacteria isolates were obtained from 22 of the 29 different insect species sampled. Through 16S rRNA gene sequences of 161 isolates, we show that 91% of the symbionts correspond to members of the genus Streptomyces with less common isolates belonging to Pseudonocardia and Amycolatopsis. Electron microscopy revealed the presence of filamentous bacteria with Streptomyces morphology in brood chambers of two different species of the eusocial wasps. Four fungal strains in the family Ophiocordycipitacea (Hypocreales) known to be specialized insect parasites were also isolated. Bioassay challenges between the Actinobacteria and their possible targeted pathogenic antagonist (both obtained from the same insect at the genus or species level) provide evidence that different Actinobacteria isolates produced antifungal activity, supporting the hypothesis of a defensive association between the insects and these microbe species. Finally, phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA and gyrB demonstrate the presence of five Streptomyces lineages associated with a broad range of insect species. Particularly our Clade I is of much interest as it is composed of one 16S rRNA phylotype repeatedly isolated from different insect groups in our sample. This phylotype corresponds to a previously described lineage of host-associated Streptomyces. These results suggest Streptomyces Clade I is a Hymenoptera host-associated lineage spanning several new insect taxa and ranging from the American temperate to the Neotropical region. Our work thus provides important insights into the widespread distribution of Actinobacteria and hymenopteran insects associations, while also pointing at novel resources that could be targeted for the discovery of active natural products with great potential in medical and biotechnological applications.

Gut microbiomes of mobile predators vary with landscape context and species identity

Landscape context affects predator–prey interactions and predator diet composition, yet little is known about landscape effects on insect gut microbiomes, a determinant of physiology and condition. Here, we combine laboratory and field experiments to examine the effects of landscape context on the gut bacterial community and body condition of predatory insects. Under laboratory conditions, we found that prey diversity increased bacterial richness in insect guts. In the field, we studied the performance and gut microbiota of six predatory insect species along a landscape complexity gradient in two local habitat types (soybean fields vs. prairie). Insects from soy fields had richer gut bacteria and lower fat content than those from prairies, suggesting better feeding conditions in prairies. Species origin mediated landscape context effects, suggesting differences in foraging of exotic and native predators on a landscape scale. Overall, our study highlights complex interactions among gut microbiota, predator identity, and landscape context.

Structure and dynamics of the gut bacterial microbiota of the bark beetle, Dendroctonus rhizophagus (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) across their life stages

Bark beetles play an important role as agents of natural renovation and regeneration in coniferous forests. Several studies have documented the metabolic capacity of bacteria associated with the gut, body surface, and oral secretions of these insects; however, little is known about how the bacterial community structure changes during the life cycle of the beetles. This study represents the first comprehensive analysis of the bacterial community of the gut of the bark beetle D. rhizophagus during the insect’s life cycle using 454 pyrosequencing. A total of 4 bacterial phyla, 7 classes, 15 families and 23 genera were identified. The α-diversity was low, as demonstrated in previous studies. The dominant bacterial taxa belonged to the Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae families. This low α-diversity can be attributed to the presence of defensive chemical compounds in conifers or due to different morpho-physiological factors in the gut of these insects acting as strong selective factors. Members of the genera Rahnella, Serratia, Pseudomonas and Propionibacterium were found at all life stages, and the first three genera, particularly Rahnella, were predominant suggesting the presence of a core microbiome in the gut. Significant differences in β-diversity were observed, mainly due to bacterial taxa present at low frequencies and only in certain life stages. The predictive functional profiling indicated metabolic pathways related to metabolism of amino acids and carbohydrates, and membrane transport as the most significant in the community. These differences in the community structure might be due to several selective factors, such as gut compartmentalization, physicochemical conditions, and microbial interactions.

Sexual variation of bacterial microbiota of Dendroctonus valens guts and frass in relation to verbenone production

Gut microbiota are widely involved in insect biology, and many factors can influence the microbiota in guts and frass. Dendroctonus valens is a very destructive forest pest in China, and the mass-attacking behavior is regulated by several semiochemicals, including verbenone, a multifunctional pheromone. The beetle harbors a variety of bacteria in its guts and frass and some of them are capable of verbenone production. D. valens is characterized by monogamy and female-initiated attacking behavior. Whether the bacterial communities fluctuate according to sex, and whether the variation influences the verbenone production, remains to be determined. In this study, the bacterial microbiota in D. valens guts and frass were analyzed, and verbenone production by their crude bacterial suspensions was compared in vitro. Bacterial diversity in female frass is more abundant compared to male frass, and the percentages and total amounts of main genera like Lactococcus and Pseudomonas in female frass are significantly higher than those in male frass. The verbenone produced by the female frass suspension is significantly higher than male frass. This study presents a comprehensive comparison of bacterial communities in guts and frass between both sexes of D. valens, highlighting the potential significance of female frass microbiota in verbenone production.

Does cryptic microbiota mitigate pine resistance to an invasive beetle-fungus complex? Implications for invasion potential

Microbial symbionts are known to assist exotic pests in their colonization of new host plants. However, there has been little evidence linking symbiotic invasion success to mechanisms for mitigation of native plant resistance. The red turpentine beetle (RTB) was introduced with a fungus, Leptographium procerum, to China from the United States and became a destructively invasive symbiotic complex in natural Pinus tabuliformis forests. Here, we report that three Chinese-resident fungi, newly acquired by RTB in China, induce high levels of a phenolic defensive chemical, naringenin, in pines. This invasive beetle-fungus complex is suppressed by elevated levels of naringenin. However, cryptic microbiotas in RTB galleries strongly degrade naringenin, and pinitol, the main soluble carbohydrate of P. tabuliformis, is retained in L. procerum-infected phloem and facilitate naringenin biodegradation by the microbiotas. These results demonstrate that cryptic microbiota mitigates native host plant phenolic resistance to an invasive symbiotic complex, suggesting a putative mechanism for reduced biotic resistance to symbiotic invasion.

Degradation capacities of bacteria and yeasts isolated from the gut of Dendroctonus rhizophagus (Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

Bark beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) feed on the xylem and phloem of their host, which are composed of structural carbohydrates and organic compounds that are not easily degraded by the insects. Some of these compounds might be hydrolyzed by digestive enzymes produced by microbes present in the gut of these insects. In this study, we evaluated the enzymatic capacity of bacteria (Acinetobacter lwoffii, Arthrobacter sp., Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas azotoformans, and Rahnella sp.) and yeasts (Candida piceae, Candida oregonensis, Cyberlindnera americana, Zygoascus sp., and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa) isolated from the Dendroctonus rhizophagus gut to hydrolyze cellulose, xylan, pectin, starch, lipids, and esters. All isolates, with the exception of C. piceae, showed lipolytic activity. Furthermore, P. putida, P. azotoformans, C. americana, C. piceae, and R. mucilaginosa presented amylolytic activity. Esterase activity was shown by A. lwoffii, P. azotoformans, and Rahnella sp. Cellulolytic and xylanolytic activities were present only in Arthrobacter sp. and P. azotoformans. The pectinolytic activity was not recorded in any isolate. This is the first study to provide evidence on the capacity of microbes associated with the D. rhizophagus gut to hydrolyze specific substrates, which might cover part of the nutritional requirements for the development, fitness, and survival of these insects.

Evolution of High Cellulolytic Activity in Symbiotic Streptomyces through Selection of Expanded Gene Content and Coordinated Gene Expression

The evolution of cellulose degradation was a defining event in the history of life. Without efficient decomposition and recycling, dead plant biomass would quickly accumulate and become inaccessible to terrestrial food webs and the global carbon cycle. On land, the primary drivers of plant biomass deconstruction are fungi and bacteria in the soil or associated with herbivorous eukaryotes. While the ecological importance of plant-decomposing microbes is well established, little is known about the distribution or evolution of cellulolytic activity in any bacterial genus. Here we show that in Streptomyces, a genus of Actinobacteria abundant in soil and symbiotic niches, the ability to rapidly degrade cellulose is largely restricted to two clades of host-associated strains and is not a conserved characteristic of the Streptomyces genus or host-associated strains. Our comparative genomics identify that while plant biomass degrading genes (CAZy) are widespread in Streptomyces, key enzyme families are enriched in highly cellulolytic strains. Transcriptomic analyses demonstrate that cellulolytic strains express a suite of multi-domain CAZy enzymes that are coregulated by the CebR transcriptional regulator. Using targeted gene deletions, we verify the importance of a highly expressed cellulase (GH6 family cellobiohydrolase) and the CebR transcriptional repressor to the cellulolytic phenotype. Evolutionary analyses identify complex genomic modifications that drive plant biomass deconstruction in Streptomyces, including acquisition and selective retention of CAZy genes and transcriptional regulators. Our results suggest that host-associated niches have selected some symbiotic Streptomyces for increased cellulose degrading activity and that symbiotic bacteria are a rich biochemical and enzymatic resource for biotechnology.

Cellulose deconstruction helps shape the global carbon cycle; this study shows that high cellulolytic ability evolved in select lineages of the bacterial genus Streptomyces through key changes in gene content and transcriptional regulation.

Only specific microbes can deconstruct the vast stores of carbon within plant biomass. Studying the distribution, diversity, and evolution of these cellulolytic organisms improves our understanding of the ecological functions of microbes in the environment and their contributions to the global carbon cycle. The bacterial genus Streptomyces is abundant in soil, appears to readily form symbiotic associations with eukaryotic hosts, and has long been thought to contribute to plant biomass degradation. Here, we show that the ability to rapidly deconstruct cellulose is surprisingly rare in the genus Streptomyces but is enriched in symbiotic stains associated with diverse insect hosts that feed on plant biomass. By using a combination of genomic, transcriptomic, and genetic analyses, we identify key changes in gene content and expression that confer cellulolytic activity. Our results support the idea that a complex interplay of genomic changes, occurring over ancient time scales, shapes the evolution of the ecologically important ability to deconstruct plant biomass.

Variability of Bacterial Communities in the Moth Heliothis virescens Indicates Transient Association with the Host

Microbes associated with insects can confer a wide range of ecologically relevant benefits to their hosts. Since insect-associated bacteria often increase the nutritive value of their hosts' diets, the study of bacterial communities is especially interesting in species that are important agricultural pests. We investigated the composition of bacterial communities in the noctuid moth Heliothis virescens and its variability in relation to developmental stage, diet and population (field and laboratory), using bacterial tag-encoded FLX pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA amplicons. In larvae, bacterial communities differed depending on the food plant on which they had been reared, although the within-group variation between biological replicates was high as well. Moreover, larvae originating from a field or laboratory population did not share any OTUs. Interestingly, Enterococcus sp. was found to be the dominant taxon in laboratory-reared larvae, but was completely absent from field larvae, indicating dramatic shifts in microbial community profiles upon cultivation of the moths in the laboratory. Furthermore, microbiota composition varied strongly across developmental stages in individuals of the field population, and we found no evidence for vertical transmission of bacteria from mothers to offspring. Since sample sizes in our study were small due to pooling of samples for sequencing, we cautiously conclude that the high variability in bacterial communities suggests a loose and temporary association of the identified bacteria with H. virescens.

Contributions by Host Trees and Insect Activity to Bacterial Communities in Dendroctonus valens (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Galleries, and Their High Overlap With Other Microbial Assemblages of Bark Beetles

Bark beetles are associated with a diversity of symbiotic microbiota that can mediate interactions with their host plants. Dendroctonus valens LeConte is a widely distributed bark beetle in North and Central America, and initiates solitary attacks on several species of Pinus in the Great Lakes region. In this study, we aimed to further characterize the bacterial community associated with D. valens feeding galleries using next-generation sequencing, and the possible contributions of both tree-resident and insect-associated bacteria to these consortia. We found that D. valens galleries harbor a diversity of microbial associates. Many of these associates were classified into a few taxonomic groups, of which Gammaproteobacteria were the most abundant class. Of the Gammaproteobacteria detected, many formed clades with 16S-rRNA sequences of bacteria previously associated with D. valens Many of the bacteria sequences detected in the galleries were similar to bacteria that function in detoxification, kairomone metabolism, and nitrogen fixation and cycling. The abundance of bacteria in galleries were 7× and 44× higher than in the surrounding uninfested tissues, and that were not attacked by D. valens, respectively. This suggests that the bacteria present in beetle galleries are largely introduced by D. valens and proliferate in this environment.

Altered Carbohydrates Allocation by Associated Bacteria-fungi Interactions in a Bark Beetle-microbe Symbiosis

Insect-microbe interaction is a key area of research in multiplayer symbiosis, yet little is known about the role of microbe-microbe interactions in insect-microbe symbioses. The red turpentine beetle (RTB) has destroyed millions of healthy pines in China and forms context-dependent relationships with associated fungi. The adult-associated fungus Leptographium procerum have played key roles in RTB colonization. However, common fungal associates (L. procerum and Ophiostoma minus) with RTB larvae compete for carbohydrates. Here, we report that dominant bacteria associated with RTB larvae buffer the competition by inhibiting the growth and D-glucose consumption of O. minus. However, they didn’t inhibit the growth of L. procerum and forced this fungus to consume D-pinitol before consuming D-glucose, even though D-glucose was available and a better carbon source not only for L. procerum but also for RTB larvae and associated bacteria. This suggests the most frequently isolated bacteria associated with RTB larvae could affect fungal growth and the sequence of carbohydrate consumption. Thus, this regulates carbohydrate allocation in the RTB larva-microbe community, which may in turn benefit RTB larvae development. We also discuss the mechanism of carbohydrate allocation in the RTB larva-microbe community, and its potential contribution to the maintenance of a symbiotic community.

Variability of Bacterial Communities in the Moth Heliothis virescens Indicates Transient Association with the Host

Microbes associated with insects can confer a wide range of ecologically relevant benefits to their hosts. Since insect-associated bacteria often increase the nutritive value of their hosts' diets, the study of bacterial communities is especially interesting in species that are important agricultural pests. We investigated the composition of bacterial communities in the noctuid moth Heliothis virescens and its variability in relation to developmental stage, diet and population (field and laboratory), using bacterial tag-encoded FLX pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA amplicons. In larvae, bacterial communities differed depending on the food plant on which they had been reared, although the within-group variation between biological replicates was high as well. Moreover, larvae originating from a field or laboratory population did not share any OTUs. Interestingly, Enterococcus sp. was found to be the dominant taxon in laboratory-reared larvae, but was completely absent from field larvae, indicating dramatic shifts in microbial community profiles upon cultivation of the moths in the laboratory. Furthermore, microbiota composition varied strongly across developmental stages in individuals of the field population, and we found no evidence for vertical transmission of bacteria from mothers to offspring. Since sample sizes in our study were small due to pooling of samples for sequencing, we cautiously conclude that the high variability in bacterial communities suggests a loose and temporary association of the identified bacteria with H. virescens.

Gut-Associated Bacteria of Dendroctonus valens and their Involvement in Verbenone Production

Bark beetles are the most important mortality agent in coniferous forests, and pheromones play important roles in their management. Dendroctonus valens LeConte was introduced from North America to China and has killed millions of healthy pines there. Trapping with semiochemicals and pheromones was deployed in D. valens management in the last decade, but little is known about the ability of gut bacteria to produce the pheromone. In this study, we analyzed the volatiles in D. valens guts and frass after antibiotic treatment versus control. Then, we isolated and identified the bacteria in D. valens guts and frass, examined verbenone (a multifunctional pheromone of D. valens) production by 16 gut bacterial isolates from the precursor cis-verbenol at three concentrations, and further compared the cytotoxicities between the cis-verbenol and verbenone to the bacterial isolates. cis-Verbenol was not detected in the frass in the control group, but it was in the antibiotic treatment. The amount of verbenone was significantly suppressed in D. valens guts after antibiotic treatment versus control. Thirteen out of 16 gut bacterial isolates were capable of cis-verbenol to verbenone conversion, and cis-verbenol had stronger cytotoxicities than verbenone to all tested gut bacterial isolates. The bacterial species capable of verbenone production largely exists in D. valens guts and frass, suggesting that gut-associated bacteria may help the bark beetle produce the pheromone verbenone in guts and frass. The bacteria may benefit from the conversion due to the reduced cytotoxicity from the precursor to the beetle pheromone.

Species-specific diversity of novel bacterial lineages and differential abundance of predicted pathways for toxic compound degradation in scorpion gut microbiota

Scorpions are considered 'living fossils' that have conserved ancestral anatomical features and have adapted to numerous habitats. However, their gut microbiota diversity has not been studied. Here, we characterized the gut microbiota of two scorpion species, Vaejovis smithi and Centruroides limpidus. Our results indicate that scorpion gut microbiota is species-specific and that food deprivation reduces bacterial diversity. 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analysis revealed novel bacterial lineages showing a low level of sequence identity to any known bacteria. Furthermore, these novel bacterial lineages were each restricted to a different scorpion species. Additionally, our results of the predicted metagenomic profiles revealed a core set of pathways that were highly abundant in both species, and mostly related to amino acid, carbohydrate, vitamin and cofactor metabolism. Notably, the food-deprived V. smithi shotgun metagenome matched almost completely the metabolic features of the prediction. Finally, comparisons among predicted metagenomic profiles showed that toxic compound degradation pathways were more abundant in recently captured C. limpidus scorpions. This study gives a first insight into the scorpion gut microbiota and provides a reference for future studies on the gut microbiota from other arachnid species.

Genitalia-associated microbes in insects

In sexual reproduction different types of symbiotic relationships between insects and microbes have become established. For example, some bacteria have evolved almost exclusive vertical transmission and even define the compatibility of insect mating partners. Many strictly sexually transmitted diseases have also been described in insects. Apart from such rather specific relationships the role of opportunistic infections in the reproductive process has been widely neglected. Opportunistic microbes transmitted passively during mating might impose an energetic cost, as the immune system will need to be alert and will use resources to fight potential intruders. Through mating wounds and contaminated reproductive organs opportunistic microbes might be transferred to mating partners and even enter the body cavity. Females as the "receiving" sex are particularly likely to have evolved adaptations to avoid or reduce opportunistic infections. Males of several species show highly complex seminal fluids, which as well as containing components that influence a males' fertilization success, also possess antimicrobial substances. The role of antimicrobials in the reproductive process is not well understood. Some evidence hints at the protection of sperm against microbes, indicating a role for natural selection in shaping the evolution of reproductive traits. By highlighting the potential importance of microbes in sexual selection and their role in reproduction in general I will make a case for studies in sexual selection, especially the ones investigating postcopulatory processes, that should incorporate environmental, as well as genotypic variation, in reproductive traits.

Yeast diversity associated with invasive Dendroctonus valens killing Pinus tabuliformis in China using culturing and molecular methods

Bark beetle-associated yeasts are much less studied than filamentous fungi, yet they are also considered to play important roles in beetle nutrition, detoxification, and chemical communication. The red turpentine beetle, Dendroctonus valens, an invasive bark beetle introduced from North America, became one of the most destructive pests in China, having killed more than 10 million Pinus tabuliformis as well as other pine species. No investigation of yeasts associated with this bark beetle in its invaded ranges has been conducted so far. The aim of this study was to assess the diversity of yeast communities in different microhabitats and during different developmental stages of Den. valens in China using culturing and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) approaches and to compare the yeast flora between China and the USA. The yeast identity was confirmed by sequencing the D1/D2 domain of LSU ribosomal DNA (rDNA). In total, 21 species (13 ascomycetes and eight basidiomycetes) were detected by culturing method, and 12 species (11 ascomycetes and one basidiomycetes) were detected by molecular methods from China. The most frequent five species in China were Candida piceae (Ogataea clade), Cyberlindnera americana, Candida oregonensis (Metschnikowia clade), Candida nitratophila (Ogataea clade) and an undescribed Saccharomycopsis sp., detected by both methods. Seven species were exclusively detected by DGGE. Ca. oregonensis (Metschnikowia clade) was the most frequently detected species by DGGE method. Eight species (all were ascomycetes) from the USA were isolated; seven of those were also found in China. We found significant differences in yeast total abundance as well as community composition between different developmental stages and significant differences between the surface and the gut. The frass yeast community was more similar to that of Den. valens surface or larvae than to the community of the gut or adults. Possible functions of the yeast associates are discussed.

Terpenes tell different tales at different scales: glimpses into the Chemical Ecology of conifer - bark beetle - microbial interactions

Chemical signaling mediates nearly all aspects of species interactions. Our knowledge of these signals has progressed dramatically, and now includes good characterizations of the bioactivities, modes of action, biosynthesis, and genetic programming of numerous compounds affecting a wide range of species. A major challenge now is to integrate this information so as to better understand actual selective pressures under natural conditions, make meaningful predictions about how organisms and ecosystems will respond to a changing environment, and provide useful guidance to managers who must contend with difficult trade-offs among competing socioeconomic values. One approach is to place stronger emphasis on cross-scale interactions, an understanding of which can help us better connect pattern with process, and improve our ability to make mechanistically grounded predictions over large areas and time frames. The opportunity to achieve such progress has been heightened by the rapid development of new scientific and technological tools. There are significant difficulties, however: Attempts to extend arrays of lower-scale processes into higher scale functioning can generate overly diffuse patterns. Conversely, attempts to infer process from pattern can miss critically important lower-scale drivers in systems where their biological and statistical significance is negated after critical thresholds are breached. Chemical signaling in bark beetle - conifer interactions has been explored for several decades, including by the two pioneers after whom this award is named. The strong knowledge base developed by many researchers, the importance of bark beetles in ecosystem functioning, and the socioeconomic challenges they pose, establish these insects as an ideal model for studying chemical signaling within a cross-scale context. This report describes our recent work at three levels of scale: interactions of bacteria with host plant compounds and symbiotic fungi (tree level, biochemical time), relationships among inducible and constitutive defenses, population dynamics, and plastic host-selection behavior (stand level, ecological time), and climate-driven range expansion of a native eruptive species into semi-naïve and potentially naïve habitats (geographical level, evolutionary time). I approach this problem by focusing primarily on one chemical group, terpenes, by emphasizing the curvilinear and threshold-structured basis of most underlying relationships, and by focusing on the system's feedback structure, which can either buffer or amplify relationships across scales.

Differences in the structure of the gut bacteria communities in development stages of the Chinese white pine beetle (Dendroctonus armandi)

The Chinese white pine beetle Dendroctonus armandi Tsai and Li, is arguably the most destructive forest insect in the Qinling Mountains in Northern China. Little is known about the structure of the bacterial communities associated with D. armandi even though this wood-boring insect plays important roles in ecosystem and biological invasion processes that result in huge economic losses in pine forests. The aim of this study was to investigate the composition of the bacterial communities present in the guts of D. armandi at different developmental stages using a culture-independent method involving PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Analysis of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments of bacteria from the guts of larvae, pupae, and male and female adults revealed bacterial communities of low complexity that differed according to the developmental stage. Citrobacter spp. and Pantoea spp. predominated in larvae and adults, whereas Methylobacterium was the dominant genus at the pupal stage. The main difference between the guts of male and female adults was the greater dominance of Citrobacter in females. Previous studies suggest that the bacterial community associated with D. armandi guts may influence insect development. The data obtained in this study regarding the phylogenetic relationships and the community structure of intestinal bacteria at different developmental stages of the D. armandi life cycle contribute to our understanding of D. armandi and could aid the development of new pest control strategies.

Large shift in symbiont assemblage in the invasive red turpentine beetle

Changes in symbiont assemblages can affect the success and impact of invasive species, and may provide knowledge regarding the invasion histories of their vectors. Bark beetle symbioses are ideal systems to study changes in symbiont assemblages resulting from invasions. The red turpentine beetle (Dendroctonus valens) is a bark beetle species that recently invaded China from its native range in North America. It is associated with ophiostomatalean fungi in both locations, although the fungi have previously been well-surveyed only in China. We surveyed the ophiostomatalean fungi associated with D. valens in eastern and western North America, and identified the fungal species using multi-gene phylogenies. From the 307 collected isolates (147 in eastern North America and 160 in western North America), we identified 20 species: 11 in eastern North America and 13 in western North America. Four species were shared between eastern North America and western North America, one species (Ophiostoma floccosum) was shared between western North America and China, and three species (Grosmannia koreana, Leptographium procerum, and Ophiostoma abietinum) were shared between eastern North America and China. Ophiostoma floccosum and O. abietinum have worldwide distributions, and were rarely isolated from D. valens. However, G. koreana and L. procerum are primarily limited to Asia and North America respectively. Leptographium procerum, which is thought to be native to North America, represented >45% of the symbionts of D. valens in eastern North America and China, suggesting D. valens may have been introduced to China from eastern North America. These results are surprising, as previous population genetics studies on D. valens based on the cytochrome oxidase I gene have suggested that the insect was introduced into China from western North America.

The bark beetle holobiont: why microbes matter

All higher organisms are involved in symbioses with microbes. The importance of these partnerships has led to the concept of the holobiont, defined as the animal or plant with all its associated microbes. Indeed, the interactions between insects and symbionts form much of the basis for the success and diversity of this group of arthropods. Insects rely on microbes to perform basic life functions and to exploit resources and habitats. By "partnering" with microbes, insects access new genomic variation instantaneously allowing the exploitation of new adaptive zones, influencing not only outcomes in ecological time, but the degree of innovation and change that occurs over evolutionary time. In this review, I present a brief overview of the importance of insect-microbe holobionts to illustrate how critical an understanding of the holobiont is to understanding the insect host and it interactions with its environment. I then review what is known about the most influential insect holobionts in many forest ecosystems-bark beetles and their microbes-and how new approaches and technologies are allowing us to illuminate how these symbioses function. Finally, I discuss why it will be critical to study bark beetles as a holobiont to understand the ramifications and extent of anthropogenic change in forest ecosystems.

Mountain pine beetles colonizing historical and naive host trees are associated with a bacterial community highly enriched in genes contributing to terpene metabolism

The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae, is a subcortical herbivore native to western North America that can kill healthy conifers by overcoming host tree defenses, which consist largely of high terpene concentrations. The mechanisms by which these beetles contend with toxic compounds are not well understood. Here, we explore a component of the hypothesis that beetle-associated bacterial symbionts contribute to the ability of D. ponderosae to overcome tree defenses by assisting with terpene detoxification. Such symbionts may facilitate host tree transitions during range expansions currently being driven by climate change. For example, this insect has recently breached the historical geophysical barrier of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, providing access to näive tree hosts and unprecedented connectivity to eastern forests. We use culture-independent techniques to describe the bacterial community associated with D. ponderosae beetles and their galleries from their historical host, Pinus contorta, and their more recent host, hybrid P. contorta-Pinus banksiana. We show that these communities are enriched with genes involved in terpene degradation compared with other plant biomass-processing microbial communities. These pine beetle microbial communities are dominated by members of the genera Pseudomonas, Rahnella, Serratia, and Burkholderia, and the majority of genes involved in terpene degradation belong to these genera. Our work provides the first metagenome of bacterial communities associated with a bark beetle and is consistent with a potential microbial contribution to detoxification of tree defenses needed to survive the subcortical environment.

Mycangia of ambrosia beetles host communities of bacteria

The research field of animal and plant symbioses is advancing from studying interactions between two species to whole communities of associates. High-throughput sequencing of microbial communities supports multiplexed sampling for statistically robust tests of hypotheses about symbiotic associations. We focus on ambrosia beetles, the increasingly damaging insects primarily associated with fungal symbionts, which have also been reported to support bacteria. To analyze the diversity, composition, and specificity of the beetles' prokaryotic associates, we combine global sampling, insect anatomy, 454 sequencing of bacterial rDNA, and multivariate statistics to analyze prokaryotic communities in ambrosia beetle mycangia, organs mostly known for transporting symbiotic fungi. We analyze six beetle species that represent three types of mycangia and include several globally distributed species, some with major economic importance (Dendroctonus frontalis, Xyleborus affinis, Xyleborus bispinatus-ferrugineus, Xyleborus glabratus, Xylosandrus crassiusculus, and Xylosandrus germanus). Ninety-six beetle mycangia yielded 1,546 bacterial phylotypes. Several phylotypes appear to form the core microbiome of the mycangium. Three Mycoplasma (originally thought restricted to vertebrates), two Burkholderiales, and two Pseudomonadales are repeatedly present worldwide in multiple beetle species. However, no bacterial phylotypes were universally present, suggesting that ambrosia beetles are not obligately dependent on bacterial symbionts. The composition of bacterial communities is structured by the host beetle species more than by the locality of origin, which suggests that more bacteria are vertically transmitted than acquired from the environment. The invasive X. glabratus and the globally distributed X. crassiusculus have unique sets of bacteria, different from species native to North America. We conclude that the mycangium hosts in multiple vertically transmitted bacteria such as Mycoplasma, most of which are likely facultative commensals or parasites.

Red turpentine beetle: innocuous native becomes invasive tree killer in China

The red turpentine beetle (RTB), Dendroctonus valens LeConte (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), is a secondary pest of pines in its native range in North and Central America. Outbreaks and tree mortality attributed to RTB alone are rare in its native range. RTB was introduced into China in the early 1980s and spread rapidly from Shanxi Province to four adjacent provinces; it has infested over 500,000 ha of pine forest and has caused extensive tree mortality since 1999. We provide a historical background on RTB outbreaks, explanations for its invasive success, management options, and economic impacts of RTB in China. Genetic variation in RTB fungal associates, interactions between RTB and its associated fungi, behavioral differences in Chinese RTB, and other factors favoring RTB outbreaks are considered in an effort to explain the invasiveness of RTB in China. The promise of semiochemicals as a management tool is also discussed.

The complex symbiotic relationships of bark beetles with microorganisms: a potential practical approach for biological control in forestry

Bark beetles, especially Dendroctonus species, are considered to be serious pests of the coniferous forests in North America. Bark beetle forest pests undergo population eruptions, causing region wide economic losses. In order to save forests, finding new and innovative environmentally friendly approaches in wood-boring insect pest management is more important than ever. Several biological control methods have been attempted over time to limit the damage and spreading of bark beetle epidemics. The use of entomopathogenic microorganisms against bark beetle populations is an attractive alternative tool for many biological control programmes in forestry. However, the effectiveness of these biological control agents is strongly affected by environmental factors, as well as by the susceptibility of the insect host. Bark beetle susceptibility to entomopathogens varies greatly between species. According to recent literature, bark beetles are engaged in symbiotic relationships with fungi and bacteria. These types of relationship are very complex and apparently involved in bark beetle defensive mechanisms against pathogens. The latest scientific discoveries in multipartite symbiosis have unravelled unexpected opportunities in bark beetle pest management, which are discussed in this article.

Gut-associated bacteria throughout the life cycle of the bark beetle Dendroctonus rhizophagus Thomas and Bright (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) and their cellulolytic activities

Dendroctonus rhizophagus Thomas and Bright (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) is an endemic economically important insect of the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico. This bark beetle has an atypical behavior within the genus because just one beetle couple colonizes and kills seedlings and young trees of 11 pine species. In this work, the bacteria associated with the Dendroctonus rhizophagus gut were analyzed by culture-dependent and culture-independent methods. Analysis of 16S rRNA sequences amplified directly from isolates of gut bacteria suggests that the bacterial community associated with Dendroctonus rhizophagus, like that of other Dendroctonus spp. and Ips pini, is limited in number. Nine bacterial genera of γ-Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria classes were detected in the gut of Dendroctonus rhizophagus. Stenotrophomonas and Rahnella genera were the most frequently found bacteria from Dendroctonus rhizophagus gut throughout their life cycle. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Ponticoccus gilvus, and Kocuria marina showed cellulolytic activity in vitro. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Rahnella aquatilis, Raoultella terrigena, Ponticoccus gilvus, and Kocuria marina associated with larvae or adults of Dendroctonus rhizophagus could be implicated in nitrogen fixation and cellulose breakdown, important roles associated to insect development and fitness, especially under the particularly difficult life conditions of this beetle.

Ecological and Evolutionary Determinants of Bark Beetle -Fungus Symbioses

Ectosymbioses among bark beetles (Curculionidae, Scolytinae) and fungi (primarily ophiostomatoid Ascomycetes) are widespread and diverse. Associations range from mutualistic to commensal, and from facultative to obligate. Some fungi are highly specific and associated only with a single beetle species, while others can be associated with many. In addition, most of these symbioses are multipartite, with the host beetle associated with two or more consistent partners. Mycangia, structures of the beetle integument that function in fungal transport, have evolved numerous times in the Scolytinae. The evolution of such complex, specialized structures indicates a high degree of mutual dependence among the beetles and their fungal partners. Unfortunately, the processes that shaped current day beetle-fungus symbioses remain poorly understood. Phylogeny, the degree and type of dependence on partners, mode of transmission of symbionts (vertical vs. horizontal), effects of the abiotic environment, and interactions among symbionts themselves or with other members of the biotic community, all play important roles in determining the composition, fidelity, and longevity of associations between beetles and their fungal associates. In this review, I provide an overview of these associations and discuss how evolution and ecological processes acted in concert to shape these fascinating, complex symbioses.

Assessment of bacterial endosymbiont diversity in Otiorhynchus spp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) larvae using a multitag 454 pyrosequencing approach

Background

Weevils of the genus Otiorhynchus are regarded as devastating pests in a wide variety of horticultural crops worldwide. So far, little is known on the presence of endosymbionts in Otiorhynchus spp.. Investigation of endosymbiosis in this genus may help to understand the evolution of different reproductive strategies in these weevils (parthenogenesis or sexual reproduction), host-symbiont interactions, and may provide a future basis for novel pest management strategy development. Here, we used a multitag 454 pyrosequencing approach to assess the bacterial endosymbiont diversity in larvae of four economically important Otiorhynchus species.

Results

High-throughput tag-encoded FLX amplicon pyrosequencing of a bacterial 16S rDNA fragment was used to characterise bacterial communities associated with different Otiorhynchus spp. larvae. By sequencing a total of ~48,000 PCR amplicons, we identified 49 different operational taxonomic units (OTUs) as bacterial endosymbionts in the four studied Otiorhynchus species. More than 90% of all sequence reads belonged either to the genus Rickettsia or showed homology to the phylogenetic group of “Candidatus Blochmannia” and to endosymbionts of the lice Pedicinus obtusus and P. badii. By using specific primers for the genera Rickettsia and “Candidatus Blochmannia”, we identified a new phylogenetic clade of Rickettsia as well as “Candidatus Nardonella” endosymbionts in Otiorhynchus spp. which are closely related to “Candidatus Blochmannia” bacteria.

Conclusions

Here, we used multitag 454 pyrosequencing for assessment of insect endosymbiotic communities in weevils. As 454 pyrosequencing generates only quite short sequences, results of such studies can be regarded as a first step towards identifying respective endosymbiotic species in insects. In the second step of our study, we analysed sequences of specific gene regions for a more detailed phylogeny of selected endosymbiont genera. As a result we identified the presence of Rickettsia and “Candidatus Nardonella” endosymbionts in Otiorhynchus spp.. This knowledge is an important step in exploring bacteria-insect associations for potential use in insect pest control.

Influence of host phylogeographic patterns and incomplete lineage sorting on within-species genetic variability in Wigglesworthia species, obligate symbionts of tsetse flies

Vertical transmission of obligate symbionts generates a predictable evolutionary history of symbionts that reflects that of their hosts. In insects, evolutionary associations between symbionts and their hosts have been investigated primarily among species, leaving population-level processes largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the tsetse (Diptera: Glossinidae) bacterial symbiont, Wigglesworthia glossinidia, to determine whether observed codiversification of symbiont and tsetse host species extends to a single host species (Glossina fuscipes fuscipes) in Uganda. To explore symbiont genetic variation in G. f. fuscipes populations, we screened two variable loci (lon and lepA) from the Wigglesworthia glossinidia bacterium in the host species Glossina fuscipes fuscipes (W. g. fuscipes) and examined phylogeographic and demographic characteristics in multiple host populations. Symbiont genetic variation was apparent within and among populations. We identified two distinct symbiont lineages, in northern and southern Uganda. Incongruence length difference (ILD) tests indicated that the two lineages corresponded exactly to northern and southern G. f. fuscipes mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups (P = 1.0). Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) confirmed that most variation was partitioned between the northern and southern lineages defined by host mtDNA (85.44%). However, ILD tests rejected finer-scale congruence within the northern and southern populations (P = 0.009). This incongruence was potentially due to incomplete lineage sorting that resulted in novel combinations of symbiont genetic variants and host background. Identifying these novel combinations may have public health significance, since tsetse is the sole vector of sleeping sickness and Wigglesworthia is known to influence host vector competence. Thus, understanding the adaptive value of these host-symbiont combinations may afford opportunities to develop vector control methods.

Cellulose-degrading bacteria associated with the invasive woodwasp Sirex noctilio

Sirex noctilio is an invasive wood-feeding wasp that threatens the world's commercial and natural pine forests. Successful tree colonization by this insect is contingent on the decline of host defenses and the ability to utilize the woody substrate as a source of energy. We explored its potential association with bacterial symbionts that may assist in nutrient acquisition via plant biomass deconstruction using growth assays, culture-dependent and -independent analysis of bacterial frequency of association and whole-genome analysis. We identified Streptomyces and γ-Proteobacteria that were each associated with 94% and 88% of wasps, respectively. Streptomyces isolates grew on all three cellulose substrates tested and across a range of pH 5.6 to 9. On the basis of whole-genome sequencing, three Streptomyces isolates have some of the highest proportions of genes predicted to encode for carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZyme) of sequenced Actinobacteria. γ-Proteobacteria isolates grew on a cellulose derivative and a structurally diverse substrate, ammonia fiber explosion-treated corn stover, but not on microcrystalline cellulose. Analysis of the genome of a Pantoea isolate detected genes putatively encoding for CAZymes, the majority predicted to be active on hemicellulose and more simple sugars. We propose that a consortium of microorganisms, including the described bacteria and the fungal symbiont Amylostereum areolatum, has complementary functions for degrading woody substrates and that such degradation may assist in nutrient acquisition by S. noctilio, thus contributing to its ability to be established in forested habitats worldwide.

Responses of bark beetle-associated bacteria to host monoterpenes and their relationship to insect life histories

Bark beetles that colonize living conifers and their microbial associates encounter constitutive and induced chemical defenses of their host. Monoterpene hydrocarbons comprise a major component of these allelochemicals, and many are antibiotic to insects, fungi, and bacteria. Some bark beetle species exhaust these defenses by killing their host through mass attacks mediated by aggregation pheromones. Others lack adult aggregation pheromones and do not engage in pheromone-mediated mass attacks, but rather have the ability to complete development within live hosts. In the former species, the larvae develop in tissue largely depleted of host terpenes, whereas in the latter exposure to these compounds persists throughout development. A substantial literature exists on how monoterpenes affect bark beetles and their associated fungi, but little is known of how they affect bacteria, which in turn can influence beetle performance in various manners. We tested several bacteria from two bark beetle species for their ability to grow in the presence of a diversity of host monoterpenes. Bacteria were isolated from the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, which typically kills trees during colonization, and the red turpentine beetle, Dendroctonus valens LeConte, which often lives in their host without causing mortality. Bacteria from D. ponderosae were gram-positive Actinobacteria and Bacilli; one yeast also was tested. Bacteria from D. valens were Actinobacteria, Bacilli, and γ-Proteobacteria. Bacteria from D. valens were more tolerant of monoterpenes than were those from D. ponderosae. Bacteria from D. ponderosae did not grow in the presence of α-pinene and 3-carene, and grew in, but were inhibited by, β-pinene and β-phellandrene. Limonene and myrcene had little inhibitory effect on bacteria from either beetle species. Tolerance to these antibiotic compounds appears to have resulted from adaptation to living in a terpene-rich environment.

Presence and diversity of Streptomyces in Dendroctonus and sympatric bark beetle galleries across North America

Recent studies have revealed several examples of intimate associations between insects and Actinobacteria, including the Southern Pine Beetle Dendroctonus frontalis and the Spruce Beetle Dendroctonus rufipennis. Here, we surveyed Streptomyces Actinobacteria co-occurring with 10 species of Dendroctonus bark beetles across the United States, using both phylogenetic and community ecology approaches. From these 10 species, and 19 other scolytine beetles that occur in the same trees, we obtained 154 Streptomyces-like isolates and generated 16S sequences from 134 of those. Confirmed 16S sequences of Streptomyces were binned into 36 distinct strains using a threshold of 0.2% sequence divergence. The 16S rDNA phylogeny of all isolates does not correlate with the distribution of strains among beetle species, localities, or parts of the beetles or their galleries. However, we identified three Streptomyces strains occurring repeatedly on Dendroctonus beetles and in their galleries. Identity of these isolates was corroborated using a house-keeping gene sequence (efTu). These strains are not confined to a certain species of beetle, locality, or part of the beetle or their galleries. However, their role as residents in the woodboring insect niche is supported by the repeated association of their 16S and efTu from across the continent, and also having been reported in studies of other subcortical insects.