Gut bacteria facilitate leaf beetles in adapting to dietary specialization by enhancing larval fitness
Abstract Dietary specialization between insect stages can reduce intraspecific food competition. The involvement of gut bacteria and the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon received limited attention. Plagiodera versicolora is a pest harming Salicaceae trees. Here, we confirmed dietary specializat...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2024-10-01
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| Series: | npj Biofilms and Microbiomes |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-024-00587-5 |
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| author | Meiqi Ma Jing Luo Xiaotong Chen Chong Li Siqun Li Jianghua Sun Letian Xu |
| author_facet | Meiqi Ma Jing Luo Xiaotong Chen Chong Li Siqun Li Jianghua Sun Letian Xu |
| author_sort | Meiqi Ma |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Dietary specialization between insect stages can reduce intraspecific food competition. The involvement of gut bacteria and the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon received limited attention. Plagiodera versicolora is a pest harming Salicaceae trees. Here, we confirmed dietary specialization in P. versicolora, wherein adults prefer new leaves, while larvae predominantly consume mature leaves when both types are available. We demonstrated the larval preference for mature leaves confers ecological advantages by promoting growth, development and immunity and this advantage is contingent upon the presence of gut bacteria. Gut microbiota in larvae revealed a significant enrichment of Pantoea when feeding new leaves, with P. anthophila exhibiting the most pronounced inhibitory effect on larval development. Further exploration identified specific metabolites, such as Tyrosyl-valine, with higher content in new leaves, which serve as substrates for the entomopathogenic gut bacterium to facilitate its proliferation. This study provides a fresh perspective on the ecological role of gut bacteria. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b861194c2a6b4f828f5ccf43e6716766 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2055-5008 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Biofilms and Microbiomes |
| spelling | doaj-art-b861194c2a6b4f828f5ccf43e67167662025-08-20T02:11:24ZengNature Portfolionpj Biofilms and Microbiomes2055-50082024-10-0110111210.1038/s41522-024-00587-5Gut bacteria facilitate leaf beetles in adapting to dietary specialization by enhancing larval fitnessMeiqi Ma0Jing Luo1Xiaotong Chen2Chong Li3Siqun Li4Jianghua Sun5Letian Xu6State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei UniversityHebei Basic Science Center for Biotic Interactions/College of Life Sciences, Institutes of Life Science and Green Development, Hebei UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei UniversityAbstract Dietary specialization between insect stages can reduce intraspecific food competition. The involvement of gut bacteria and the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon received limited attention. Plagiodera versicolora is a pest harming Salicaceae trees. Here, we confirmed dietary specialization in P. versicolora, wherein adults prefer new leaves, while larvae predominantly consume mature leaves when both types are available. We demonstrated the larval preference for mature leaves confers ecological advantages by promoting growth, development and immunity and this advantage is contingent upon the presence of gut bacteria. Gut microbiota in larvae revealed a significant enrichment of Pantoea when feeding new leaves, with P. anthophila exhibiting the most pronounced inhibitory effect on larval development. Further exploration identified specific metabolites, such as Tyrosyl-valine, with higher content in new leaves, which serve as substrates for the entomopathogenic gut bacterium to facilitate its proliferation. This study provides a fresh perspective on the ecological role of gut bacteria.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-024-00587-5 |
| spellingShingle | Meiqi Ma Jing Luo Xiaotong Chen Chong Li Siqun Li Jianghua Sun Letian Xu Gut bacteria facilitate leaf beetles in adapting to dietary specialization by enhancing larval fitness npj Biofilms and Microbiomes |
| title | Gut bacteria facilitate leaf beetles in adapting to dietary specialization by enhancing larval fitness |
| title_full | Gut bacteria facilitate leaf beetles in adapting to dietary specialization by enhancing larval fitness |
| title_fullStr | Gut bacteria facilitate leaf beetles in adapting to dietary specialization by enhancing larval fitness |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gut bacteria facilitate leaf beetles in adapting to dietary specialization by enhancing larval fitness |
| title_short | Gut bacteria facilitate leaf beetles in adapting to dietary specialization by enhancing larval fitness |
| title_sort | gut bacteria facilitate leaf beetles in adapting to dietary specialization by enhancing larval fitness |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-024-00587-5 |
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