Hindgut microbiota reflects different digestive strategies in dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae).

ABSTRACT: Gut microbes play an important role in the biology and evolution of insects. Australian native dung beetles (Scarabaeinae) present an opportunity to study gut microbiota in an evolutionary context as they come from two distinct phylogenetic lineages and some species in each lineage have secondarily adapted to alternative or broader diets. In this study, we characterised the hindgut bacterial communities found in 21 species of dung beetles across two lineages using 16S rRNA sequencing. We found that gut microbial diversity was more dependent on host phylogeny and gut morphology than specific dietary preferences or environment. In particular, gut microbial diversity was highest in the endemic, flightless genus Cephalodesmius that feeds on a broad range of composted organic matter. The

SUBMITTER: Ebert KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8090880 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature