Abstract
Dynamics in animal-associated microbiota can be difficult to study due to community complexity. Previous work showed that microbial communities in the midguts of Pieris rapae larvae contain relatively few members. In this study, we used P. rapae to test hypotheses related to how diet impacts gastrointestinal microbiota. More specifically, we investigated how the concentration of sinigrin, a glucosinolate in the natural diet of this insect, alters microbial community structure. Larvae were fed either sterile wheat germ diet alone or amended with 3.0 mg/ml, 6.0 mg/ml, or 9.0 mg/ml of sinigrin. In order to determine shifts in the gut microbial community, 16S rRNA genes from midguts were subjected to pyrosequencing and analyzed. Sinigrin had a significant impact on microbial communities in fourth instar P. rapae larvae, but this was dependent on concentration. The predominant phyla in all treatment groups were Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. Significant difference in beta diversity was typically observed when sinigrin 6 mg/ml and the control treatment groups were compared. The impact of sinigrin on the structure of the midgut microbiota is dependent on concentration, but not in a linear fashion. This may indicate that types and concentrations of glucosinolates have varied impact on midgut microbial community.
Highlights
In recent years the inherent complexity of microbial communities has become increasingly apparent
Glucosinolates are naturally found in the preferred diet of P. rapae and the goal of this study was to investigate the impact of various concentrations of a single glucosinolate on the microbiota and lay groundwork for understanding its effects on host-microbe dynamics
A commercially available glucosinolate, shapes community structure and that this influence may be dependent on concentration
Summary
In recent years the inherent complexity of microbial communities has become increasingly apparent. Determining fundamental information regarding species richness, membership, and diversity has often remained elusive [1] [2]. Beyond these issues are questions of classical ecological principles, such as community function, mechanisms of assembly, maintenance of structure, stability and resistance, and the like. How to cite this paper: McKinnon, L.M. and Robinson, C.J. J. Robinson mal hosts adds yet another layer of complexity for understanding these dynamic assemblages. Robinson mal hosts adds yet another layer of complexity for understanding these dynamic assemblages Some of these questions can be hard to address because of high community richness, but external factors such as host physiology can present a challenge
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