engleski

The effects of microbiota on development and resistance in Tribolium castaneum

The relevance of microbial communities inhabiting different animal species is in- creasingly being studied in a broad spectrum, ranging from sponges to primates. Although the red our beetle Tribolium castaneum represents a well-established experimental model organism for studying questions in ecology, evolution and development, the relevance of its microbial communities is still unknown. Using a newly established protocol for microbe eradication and raising germ-free beetles, we found that individual, sterile T. castaneum larvae show a slower growth rate in comparison to the ones harboring commensal bacteria. Moreover, we dem- onstrate that upon an oral infection with the natural entomopathogen Bacillus thuringiensis tenebrionis, larval survival was decreased in comparison to control animals. Therefore, this study represents a contribution to the accumulating evi- dence showing the importance of the microbiota in insects.

microbiota, development, resistance, Tribolium castaneum

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