Diet is not the primary driver of bacterial community structure in the gut of litter-feeding cockroaches.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Diet is a major determinant of bacterial community structure in termite guts, but evidence of its importance in the closely related cockroaches is conflicting. Here, we investigated the ecological drivers of the bacterial gut microbiota in cockroaches that feed on lignocellulosic leaf litter.

Results

The physicochemical conditions determined with microsensors in the guts of Ergaula capucina, Pycnoscelus surinamensis, and Byrsotria rothi were similar to those reported for both wood-feeding and omnivorous cockroaches. All gut compartments were anoxic at the center and showed a slightly acidic to neutral pH and variable but slightly reducing conditions. Hydrogen accumulated only in the crop of B. rothi. High-throughput amplicon sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes

SUBMITTER: Lampert N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6864750 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature