Abstract
Western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte) is a serious pest of maize (Zea mays L.) in North America and parts of Europe. With most of its life cycle spent in the soil feeding on maize root tissues, this insect is likely to encounter and interact with a wide range of soil and rhizosphere microbes. Our knowledge of the role of microbes in pest management and plant health remains woefully incomplete, yet that knowledge could play an important role in effective pest management strategies. For this study, insects were reared on maize in soils from different locations. Insects from two different laboratory colonies (a diapausing and a non-diapausing colony) were sampled at each life stage to determine the possible core bacteriome. Additionally, soil was sampled at each life stage and resulting bacteria were identified to determine the possible contribution of soil to the rootworm bacteriome, if any. We analyzed the V4 hypervariable region of bacterial 16S rRNA genes with Illumina MiSeq to survey the different species of bacteria associated with the insects and the soils. The bacterial community associated with insects was significantly different from that in the soil. Some differences appear to exist between insects from non-diapausing and diapausing colonies while no significant differences in community composition existed between the insects reared on different soils. Despite differences in the bacteria present in immature stages and in male and female adults, there is a possible core bacteriome of approximately 16 operational taxonomic units (i.e., present across all life stages). This research may provide insights into Bt resistance development, improved nutrition in artificial rearing systems, and new management strategies.
Highlights
The western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte; WCR) is a chrysomelid beetle whose larvae cause damage to maize root systems
Selection experiments with H. armigera on transgenic plants were conducted in addition to manipulation of gut microbiota with antibiotics[19]
We demonstrate that WCR can carry particular bacterial species across all life stages regardless of the rearing environment
Summary
The western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte; WCR) is a chrysomelid beetle whose larvae cause damage to maize root systems. We reared insects of the non-diapausing colony on two different soil types and evaluated bacterial populations at each developmental stage. Discordant rhizosphere species assemblages present in adjacent or distant maize fields could affect the microbiota encountered by developing larvae, and this may be reflected in observation of discordant microbiomes within feeding WCR.
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