Abstract
SummaryPest insects lead to excessive agricultural and therefore economical losses on crops worldwide. These insects have to withstand toxic molecules that are inherent to plant defences, as well as those that are produced and introduced by humans in the form of insecticides. In recent years, research on insect–microbe symbioses has recognized that microbial symbionts may play a role protecting against these toxins, leading to a form of defensive symbiosis between the pest insect and different types of microorganisms that we term detoxifying symbioses. In this minireview, we will highlight well‐characterized and emerging insect model systems of detoxifying symbioses and assess how the microorganisms influence the host's success.
Highlights
Insects are very successful eukaryotic life forms on earth and have evolved into a stunning diversity of lineages
Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology, Microbial Biotechnology, 10, 531–540 the concept of symbiont-mediated detoxification, we suggest the term ‘detoxifying symbiosis’ for this type of mechanism, where insect-associated microorganisms are the main factor responsible for the detoxification of plant toxins or insecticides
Even if detoxifying symbiosis does not play a role in this association, further study can still be fruitful because organophosphorus-degrading bacteria by themselves may prove of value in ecological and industrial applications
Summary
Insects are very successful eukaryotic life forms on earth and have evolved into a stunning diversity of lineages. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology, Microbial Biotechnology, 10, 531–540 the concept of symbiont-mediated detoxification, we suggest the term ‘detoxifying symbiosis’ for this type of mechanism, where insect-associated microorganisms are the main factor responsible for the detoxification of plant toxins or insecticides.
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