Comparison of gut bacterial communities of Oedaleus decorus asiaticus (Orthoptera: Acrididae) ingesting on different grasses

Abstract

AbstractMicrobiota that live in gut of the insects have a wide range of effects on host physiology, nutrition, and behaviour. To characterize the gut bacterial community of orthopteran pests comprehensively, we selected Oedaleus decorus asiaticus as a representative pest to more explicitly test the influence of host dietary niche on the gut bacterial community. Illumina high‐throughput sequencing technology was used to study the gut bacterial community of O. d. asiaticus, a key pest on natural grasslands in China. The results showed that the gut bacterial community of O. d. asiaticus ingesting on Poa poophagorum had the highest diversity but lowest richness, and Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were dominant phylum. There were significant differences in the gut bacterial structure of O. d. asiaticus after ingesting different grasses. Most of functional prediction pathways were concentrated in metabolism and cellular processes. The diversity of the gut bacterial community associated with Carex sutschanensis, Sipapurpurea, and Agropyron cristatum was positively associated with crude protein (Ca) (p < 0.05), phosphorus (P) (p < 0.05), and ether extract (EE) (p < 0.05). The abundance of Pantoea, Wolbachia, Enterobacter, Escherichia, and Enterococcus was positively related to P and EE. The abundance of Pantoea, Wolbachia, Enterobacter, Enterococcus, Succiniclasticum, Lactobacillus, and Acinetobacter was positively related to crude protein. The abundance of Escherichia, Muribaculum, Succiniclasticum, Lactobacillus, Acinetobacter was positively related to Ca and dry matter. The abundance of Muribaculum, Succiniclasticum, Lactobacillus, Acinetobacter was positively related to acid detergent fibre, neutral detergent fibre, and crude ash. These results suggest that the grass with higher overall nutritional content has higher abundance of immune bacteria. This investigation of the gut bacterial community may provide insights into the relationships between grasses, pests, and their gut bacterial communities, and find new ways to control locust outbreaks by targeting the insect bacterial community.