Project description:The gut microbiome plays an important role in insect evolution and ecology. Bacteria support the host's nutrition and defense and therefore play an important role in the fitness of the host. Halyomorpha halys is one of the most important invasive pest species in the world. Native to North-Eastern Asia, this Pentatomid bug has recently invaded North America and Europe, causing significant damage to agricultural production. Although an increasing number of studies investigated the biology of this pest species, little is known about the composition of its gut microbiota. Like many other Pentatomid species, H. halys harbors a primary symbiont called "Candidatus Pantoea carbekii," which produces vitamins and essential amino acids for the host. However, information about the presence of other bacteria is currently lacking. Therefore, we investigated the gut microbiota of H. halys individuals, which were collected in the field across the year using a high-throughput 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding approach. Our results revealed 3309 different ASVs associated with H. halys, with Pantoea being the most abundant symbiont, present in almost all individuals. Additionally, many individuals harbor Commensalibacter, a genus of acetic acid bacterial symbionts. Besides these two predominant taxa, we show a high diversity of microorganisms associated with H. halys with seasonal fluctuations, highlighting a dynamic microbiota that might influence the biology of this species.
Project description:The phytophagous brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys (Stål) is known to exhibit cannibalistic behaviour towards eggs. Here, we provide evidence of cannibalism among overwintering H. halys adults. Since diapausing individuals have high physiological demands for surviving long periods under stressful conditions, including the risk of depletion of metabolic reserves and desiccation, we assumed that nutritional and water requirements can be met by intraspecific predation. The role of aggregative behaviour in promoting cannibalism is also discussed. Given its evolutionary advantage, this trait should be maintained over generations and may be more widespread than previously considered in species that display aggregative behaviour during adverse seasons.