Gut Structure and Microbial Communities in Sirex noctilio (Hymenoptera: Siricidae) and Their Predicted Contribution to Larval Nutrition.

ABSTRACT: The European woodwasp, Sirex noctilio Fabricius, is a major invasive quarantine pest that attacks and kills pine trees outside of its native range. Insect gut structure and gut microbiota play crucial roles in various life activities. Despite a few reports in nutrition and survival, an extensive study on the S. noctilio larval gut microbiome is lacking. We studied the gut structure using a stereo microscope and used high throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA genes and fungal internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) regions to investigate gut microbiota in different developmental stages of S. noctilio, including larvae, adults, and larval frass. We used PICRUSt2 to predict the functional profiles. The larval gut was thin and thread-like from the oral cavity to the

SUBMITTER: Li J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8060704 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature