Gut bacteria facilitate pollinivory of the ladybird beetle <i>Micraspis discolor</i>.

ABSTRACT: The ladybird beetle Micraspis discolor plays an important role as a predator of various arthropods within Asia's rice ecosystems. While pollen could serve as an alternative diet for this beetle, facilitating mass-rearing, its pollinivory might inadvertently result in attacks on crop pollen. This study aims to explore the role of gut bacteria on pollinivory of M. discolor. We found that antibiotic treatment significantly reduced the performance of M. discolor when fed Brassica campestris pollen. However, the treatment did not significantly affect their performance when fed an alternative diet of Ephestia kuehniella eggs. Further, we found that antibiotics can eliminate a strain of Serratia marcescens, SmMd, which is a specific gut bacterium in M.

SUBMITTER: Li G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11611818 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature