The red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum: A model for host-microbiome interactions.

ABSTRACT: A large body of ongoing research focuses on understanding the mechanisms and processes underlying host-microbiome interactions, and predicting their ecological and evolutionary outcomes. To draw general conclusions about such interactions and understand how they are established, we must synthesize information from a diverse set of species. We analysed the microbiome of an important insect model-the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum-which is a widespread generalist pest of stored cereals. The beetles complete their entire life cycle in flour, which thus serves multiple functions: habitat, food, and a source of microbes. We determined key factors that shape the T. castaneum microbiome, established protocols to manipulate it, and tested its consequences for host fitness. We show that the T

SUBMITTER: Agarwal A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7531845 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature