Comparative analysis of gut symbionts in Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and their dietary substrate, sauce-flavored Daqu
Tribolium castaneum (red flour beetle), a major pest infesting stored sauce-flavored Daqu (SFD), causes significant economic losses in the sauce-flavored liquor industry. This study analyzed microbial interactions between SFD and T. castaneum (adults and larvae) using 16S rDNA and ITS sequencing. T....
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Insect Science |
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| author | Jun Lü Shan Xu Can Teng Rujia Huang Guiqin Xiong Qin Cheng |
| author_facet | Jun Lü Shan Xu Can Teng Rujia Huang Guiqin Xiong Qin Cheng |
| author_sort | Jun Lü |
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| description | Tribolium castaneum (red flour beetle), a major pest infesting stored sauce-flavored Daqu (SFD), causes significant economic losses in the sauce-flavored liquor industry. This study analyzed microbial interactions between SFD and T. castaneum (adults and larvae) using 16S rDNA and ITS sequencing. T. castaneum guts primarily hosted Bacteroidota (44.7% adults, 50.9% larvae) and Proteobacteria, contrasting SFD’s Firmicutes-dominated community (89.3%), featuring Oceanobacillus (31.7%) and Bacillus (11.2%). Fungal communities across groups were Ascomycota-rich (90%), with Aspergillus (86%) as core, while larvae uniquely harbored Lichtheimia (5.5%). Larvae shared more bacterial taxa with SFD (5 genera vs. 3 in adults), yet high-abundance SFD bacteria (e.g., Weissella) were scarce in guts (0.6%) and vice versa. Fungal source tracking revealed SFD contributed 89–94% of gut fungi, vastly exceeding bacterial inputs (2.8–5%). Shared bacterial ASVs (n=58) exhibited functional divergence: carbohydrate metabolism dominated in SFD, whereas insect-associated ASVs enriched drug resistance genes. Findings suggest T. castaneum selectively colonizes SFD bacteria (e.g., Bacillus, Oceanobacillus) while proportionally acquiring fungi (e.g., Aspergillus) via dietary transmission. These microbes may act as a gut “seed bank” or host-selected symbionts, warranting further validation to clarify their ecological roles and inform microbially-based pest control strategies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-853f9a914c5548a7ab8c6d38de5e0940 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-8600 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Insect Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-853f9a914c5548a7ab8c6d38de5e09402025-08-20T03:29:13ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Insect Science2673-86002025-07-01510.3389/finsc.2025.16143101614310Comparative analysis of gut symbionts in Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and their dietary substrate, sauce-flavored DaquJun Lü0Shan Xu1Can Teng2Rujia Huang3Guiqin Xiong4Qin Cheng5School of Food Engineering, Moutai Institute, Renhuai, Guizhou, ChinaSchool of Food Engineering, Moutai Institute, Renhuai, Guizhou, ChinaSchool of Food Engineering, Moutai Institute, Renhuai, Guizhou, ChinaSchool of Food Engineering, Moutai Institute, Renhuai, Guizhou, ChinaSchool of Food Engineering, Moutai Institute, Renhuai, Guizhou, ChinaQuality Monitoring and Evaluation Center, Moutai Institute, Renhuai, Guizhou, ChinaTribolium castaneum (red flour beetle), a major pest infesting stored sauce-flavored Daqu (SFD), causes significant economic losses in the sauce-flavored liquor industry. This study analyzed microbial interactions between SFD and T. castaneum (adults and larvae) using 16S rDNA and ITS sequencing. T. castaneum guts primarily hosted Bacteroidota (44.7% adults, 50.9% larvae) and Proteobacteria, contrasting SFD’s Firmicutes-dominated community (89.3%), featuring Oceanobacillus (31.7%) and Bacillus (11.2%). Fungal communities across groups were Ascomycota-rich (90%), with Aspergillus (86%) as core, while larvae uniquely harbored Lichtheimia (5.5%). Larvae shared more bacterial taxa with SFD (5 genera vs. 3 in adults), yet high-abundance SFD bacteria (e.g., Weissella) were scarce in guts (0.6%) and vice versa. Fungal source tracking revealed SFD contributed 89–94% of gut fungi, vastly exceeding bacterial inputs (2.8–5%). Shared bacterial ASVs (n=58) exhibited functional divergence: carbohydrate metabolism dominated in SFD, whereas insect-associated ASVs enriched drug resistance genes. Findings suggest T. castaneum selectively colonizes SFD bacteria (e.g., Bacillus, Oceanobacillus) while proportionally acquiring fungi (e.g., Aspergillus) via dietary transmission. These microbes may act as a gut “seed bank” or host-selected symbionts, warranting further validation to clarify their ecological roles and inform microbially-based pest control strategies.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/finsc.2025.1614310/fullsauce-flavored DaquTribolium castaneumgut symbionts16S rDNAITS |
| spellingShingle | Jun Lü Shan Xu Can Teng Rujia Huang Guiqin Xiong Qin Cheng Comparative analysis of gut symbionts in Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and their dietary substrate, sauce-flavored Daqu Frontiers in Insect Science sauce-flavored Daqu Tribolium castaneum gut symbionts 16S rDNA ITS |
| title | Comparative analysis of gut symbionts in Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and their dietary substrate, sauce-flavored Daqu |
| title_full | Comparative analysis of gut symbionts in Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and their dietary substrate, sauce-flavored Daqu |
| title_fullStr | Comparative analysis of gut symbionts in Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and their dietary substrate, sauce-flavored Daqu |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative analysis of gut symbionts in Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and their dietary substrate, sauce-flavored Daqu |
| title_short | Comparative analysis of gut symbionts in Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and their dietary substrate, sauce-flavored Daqu |
| title_sort | comparative analysis of gut symbionts in tribolium castaneum coleoptera tenebrionidae and their dietary substrate sauce flavored daqu |
| topic | sauce-flavored Daqu Tribolium castaneum gut symbionts 16S rDNA ITS |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/finsc.2025.1614310/full |
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