The symbiotic bacteria Alcaligenes faecalis of the entomopathogenic nematodes Oscheius spp. exhibit potential biocontrol of plant- and entomopathogenic fungi.

ABSTRACT: Soil-dwelling entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) kill arthropod hosts by injecting their symbiotic bacteria into the host hemolymph and feed on the bacteria and the tissue of the dying host for several generations cycles until the arthropod cadaver is completely depleted. The EPN-bacteria-arthropod cadaver complex represents a rich energy source for the surrounding opportunistic soil fungal biota and other competitors. We hypothesized that EPNs need to protect their food source until depletion and that the EPN symbiotic bacteria produce volatile and non-volatile exudations that deter different soil fungal groups in the soil. We isolated the symbiotic bacteria species (Alcaligenes faecalis) from the EPN Oscheius spp. and ran infectivity bioassays against entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) as well

SUBMITTER: Shan S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6465237 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature