Conserved microbiota among young Heliconius butterfly species.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Insects are the most diverse group of animals which have established intricate evolutionary interactions with bacteria. However, the importance of these interactions is still poorly understood. Few studies have focused on a closely related group of insect species, to test the similarities and differences between their microbiota. Heliconius butterflies are a charismatic recent insect radiation that evolved the unique ability to use pollen as a protein source, which affected life history traits and resulted in an elevated speciation rates. We hypothesize that different Heliconius butterflies sharing a similar trophic pollen niche, harbor a similar gut flora within species, population and sexes.

Methods

To test our hypothesis, we characterized the micr

SUBMITTER: van Schooten B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6173163 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature