Abstract
Understanding the effects of environmental disturbances on insects is crucial in predicting the impact of climate change on their distribution, abundance, and ecology. As microbial symbionts are known to play an integral role in a diversity of functions within the insect host, research examining how organisms adapt to environmental fluctuations should include their associated microbiota. In this study, subterranean termites [Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar)] were exposed to three different temperature treatments characterized as low (15°C), medium (27°C), and high (35°C). Results suggested that pre-exposure to cold allowed termites to stay active longer in decreasing temperatures but caused termites to freeze at higher temperatures. High temperature exposure had the most deleterious effects on termites with a significant reduction in termite survival as well as reduced ability to withstand cold stress. The microbial community of high temperature exposed termites also showed a reduction in bacterial richness and decreased relative abundance of Spirochaetes, Elusimicrobia, and methanogenic Euryarchaeota. Our results indicate a potential link between gut bacterial symbionts and termite’s physiological response to environmental changes and highlight the need to consider microbial symbionts in studies relating to insect thermosensitivity.
Highlights
Temperature is a major factor influencing the distribution of many, if not all, living organisms (Doucet et al, 2009)
The primary objectives of this study were to: (1) examine the physiological performance of eastern subterranean termites, R. flavipes, after prolonged exposure to three different temperature conditions using measurements of feeding activity, mortality, and cold tolerance [supercooling point (SCP) and critical thermal minimum (CTmin)], (2) evaluate how an increase or decrease in temperature affects the microbial community of the termite gut and associated nest material, and (3) examine how these microbial shifts relate to cold tolerance
Termites used for this study originated from a population of R. flavipes along the northern range of its distribution where they are likely limited by cold seasonal conditions
Summary
Temperature is a major factor influencing the distribution of many, if not all, living organisms (Doucet et al, 2009). Current predictions of global climate change suggest increases in the frequency and magnitude of temperature fluctuations (Deser et al, 2012) which will directly impact seasonality, distribution, survival, and overall fitness of both beneficial and pestiferous insect species Climate change models predict increases in freeze-thaw cycles corresponding to reduced snow cover, which would have a direct impact on the microenvironment of many soil-dwelling insects (Sinclair, 2001). The level of vulnerability to fluctuations in environmental conditions (e.g., increased exposure to thermal stress) for various insect species has been linked with the underlying genetic and phenotypic plasticity present in these organisms, which play a direct role in mediating host physiological response (Macke et al, 2017; Kokou et al, 2018)
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