Abstract
The genus Anastrepha (Diptera Tephritidae) includes some of the most important fruit fly pests in the Americas. Here, we studied the gut bacterial community of 3rd instar larvae of Anastrepha fraterculus sp. 1 through Next Generation Sequencing (lllumina) of the V3-V4 hypervariable region within the 16S rRNA gene. Gut bacterial communities were compared between host species (guava and peach), and geographical origins (Concordia and Horco Molle in Argentina) representing distinct ecological scenarios. In addition, we explored the effect of spatial scale by comparing the samples collected from different trees within each geographic origin and host species. We also addressed the effect of fruit size on bacterial diversity. The gut bacterial community was affected both by host species and geographic origin. At smaller spatial scales, the gut bacterial profile differed among trees of the same species and location at least in one host-location combination. There was no effect of fruit size on the larval gut bacteriome. Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) assigned to Wolbachia, Tatumella and Enterobacter were identified in all samples examined, which suggest potential, non-transient symbioses. Better knowledge on the larval gut bacteriome contributes valuable information to develop sustainable control strategies against A. fraterculus targeting key symbionts as the Achilles’ heel to control this important fruit fly pest.
Highlights
The study of symbiotic relationships between insects and microbial organisms has received renewed interest as nextgeneration sequencing (NGS) tools become progressively available
We explored the effect of the spatial scale at a finer grain, by comparing the diversity in gut bacterial community among fruits collected from different trees within each geographic origin and host species
We found Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) belonging to four bacterial phyla, five classes, and 13 orders in the gut bacterial of A. fraterculus sp. larvae 1 (Figure 1 and Supplementary Tables 1, 2)
Summary
The study of symbiotic relationships between insects and microbial organisms has received renewed interest as nextgeneration sequencing (NGS) tools become progressively available. Recent studies in metabolic roles and host-microbiota associations reveal that symbionts have co-evolved with the host and are involved in essential physiological functions, modulating host fitness This has changed the way insects are considered, from individuals to complex communities (Feldhaar, 2011; Douglas, 2015; Morris, 2018; Brown et al, 2020). 10 OTUs. Despite the differences in richness, extensive analyses of the insect gut bacteria reported a general trend to a low bacterial diversity in the insect gut (Colman et al, 2012; Jones et al, 2013). Despite the differences in richness, extensive analyses of the insect gut bacteria reported a general trend to a low bacterial diversity in the insect gut (Colman et al, 2012; Jones et al, 2013) These symbiotic associations may have a variety of negative, positive, or neutral effects on the insect host. Specific bacteria may have a different effect in insect hosts of different species (Bourtzis and Miller, 2003)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
