The diversity of bacteria in different life stages and their impact on the development and reproduction of Zeugodacus tau (Diptera: Tephritidae)

This study reports the first extensive analysis of bacterial communities in different life stages and their effect on the development and reproduction of laboratory ‐rearedZ. tau. Cultured bacteria were identified using the conventional method, and all bacteria were identified by high ‐throughput technologies (16S rRNA gene sequencing of V3‒V4 region). A total of six bacterial phyla were identified in larvae, pupae, and male and female adult flies, which were distributed into 14 classes, 32 orders, 58 families and 96 genera. Proteobacteria was the most represented phylum in a ll the stages except larvae.Enterobacter,Klebsiella,Providencia, andPseudomonas were identified by conventional and NGS analysis in both male and female adult flies, andEnterobacter was found to be the main genus. After being fed with antibiotics from the first instar larvae, bacterial diversity changed markedly in the adult stage. Untreated flies laid eggs and needed 20 days before oviposition while the treated flies showed the ovary development inhibited and were not able to lay eggs, probably due to the alteration of the microbiota. These findings provide the cornerstone for unexplored research on bacterial function inZ. tau, which will help to develop an environmentally friendly management technique for this kind of harmful insect.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Source: Insect Science - Category: Biology Authors: Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research