Behavioural phase transitions in the migratory locust, <i>Locusta migratoria</i>, are related to changes in the gut bacterial composition.

ABSTRACT: Locusta migratoria is a grasshopper species that can change its behaviour from solitary to gregarious. Previous studies have implicated metabolites such as serotonin and dopamine in the regulation of behavioural transition in this species. While many studies using cultured microbes have demonstrated that some microbes harbor the neuroactive metabolic potential of these neurotransmitters, the association between microbial community composition and phase transition remains poorly understood. Here, we employed 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomic sequencing analyses to compare the composition of gut microbial communities of L. migratoria in different behavioural phases. We found that Serratia ureilytica was enriched in the gut of gregarious individual

SUBMITTER: Kim J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12903957 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature