What's on the menu? A novel molecular gut content analysis to investigate the feeding behavior of phytophagous insects.

ABSTRACT: The relationship between phytophagous insects and plants is a central aspect of food webs and ecosystem functioning. The introduction of new species into an environment can have significant impacts on the food web of a native ecosystem. In many cases, there is a lack of knowledge on the biology and feeding behavior of invasive species prior their introduction and in the invaded regions. Gut content analyses of insects have provided valuable information on the host spectrum of insects. However, current approaches are time-consuming and costly. Here, we describe a new molecular gut content analysis (GCA) approach using the Oxford Nanopore (ONT) Flongle sequencing platform to characterize the plant DNA present in the gut of the highly polyphagous insect species Halyomorpha halys. We de

SUBMITTER: Fluch M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11421882 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature