Stochastic processes drive divergence of bacterial and fungal communities in sympatric wild insect species despite sharing a common diet.

ABSTRACT: Arthropods harbor complex microbiota that play a pivotal role in host fitness. While multiple factors, like host species and diet, shape microbiota in arthropods, their impact on community assembly in wild insects remains largely unknown. In this study, we surveyed bacterial and fungal community assembly in nine sympatric wild insect species that share a common citrus fruit diet. Source tracking analysis suggested that these insects acquire some bacteria and fungi from the citrus fruit with varying degrees. Although sharing a common diet led to microbiota convergence, the diversity, composition, and network of both bacterial and fungal communities varied significantly among surveyed insect groups. Null model analysis indicated that stochastic processes, particularly dispersal limitation an

SUBMITTER: Zhu Y-X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11351035 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature