The Ground Beetle Poecilus (Carabidae) Gut Microbiome and Its Functionality.

ABSTRACT: Ground beetles of the genus Poecilus (Carabidae) play key ecological roles in pest control and soil health. However, their gut microbiome remains largely unexplored despite increasing interest in insect-associated microbiota and its environmental implications. This study used next-generation sequencing and qPCR to characterise the gut microbiome of Poecilus beetles collected from organic and conventional tomato fields. Core microbiota were identified through prevalence-abundance filtering, revealing dominant genera including Gilliamella, Weissella, Enterobacter, and Enterococcus, alongside several low-abundance but consistently present taxa. Notably, Carnobacterium was detected for the first time in an insect host, and Nosema ceranae was identified for the first time in Carabidae, expandin

SUBMITTER: Braglia C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12310908 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature