Both host and diet shape bacterial communities of predatory mites

Our research revealed that both host species and dietary variation modify the microbial composition of predatory mites. Although predatory mites had stable core microbiota, microbiome fluctuation indicated that predatory mites had weak dependence on their microbial communities which were greatly influenced by diet. The association is closely related to predatory mite species. AbstractMicrobial communities, derived from food, ambient, and inner, can affect host ecological adaption and evolution. Comparing with most phytophagous arthropods, predators may have more opportunities to develop specific microbiota depending on the level of prey specialization. To explore how diet sources affect host microbial communities and vary across predator species, we considered 3 types of predators from Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata): polyphagous (Amblyseius orientalis Ehara,Neoseiulus barkeri Hughes, andAmblyseius swirskii Athias-Henrio), oligophagous (Neoseiulus californicus McGregor), and monophagous (Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot) predatory mites. The polyphagous species were fed on 2 types of diets, natural prey and alternative prey. By using 16S rRNA sequencing, we found that diet was the main source of microbiota in predatory mites, while there was no clear pattern affected by prey specialization. Among 3 polyphagous predators, host species had a larger impact than prey on microbial composition. UnlikeA. orientalis orN. barkeri which showed consistency in their microbiota, ...

Source: Insect Science - July 20, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Hong Yan, Endong Wang, Guo ‐Shu Wei, Bo Zhang, Xuenong Xu Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research