The microbiota of the Lasius fuliginosus – Pella laticollis myrmecophilous interaction

Abstract

Myrmecophilous insects depend on their ant hosts during at least part of their life cycle. Lasius ants appear to be primarily involved as host in myrmecophilous interactions, especially with aphids and beetles, e.g. staphylinid. Pella laticollis is a rove beetle having a close ecological association with Lasius fuliginosus, which is correlated to its behavior adapted to avoid attack. Microorganisms can also play an important role in the maintenance of such relationships. We used 16S rRNA sequencing on the Illumina MiSeq platform to identify the bacterial communities associated with larvae and adults of both L. fuliginosus and P. laticollis. In addition, we determined the microbiota profiles of the nest-carton, an organic material lining the nest chambers. We obtained more than two million good quality reads. Taxonomic annotation showed that the profiles consisted of a total of 20 phyla, among which Proteobacteria was the most abundant. The samples were grouped according to the host’s developmental stage or the nest material, and the differences between those groups were significant. Only the microbiota of L. fuliginosus larvae and adults did not differ significantly. Analyses at the genus level indicated a heightened abundance of Pseudomonas in the insects’ profiles. The bacterial communities associated with the nest-carton included bacterial genera recorded from soil and dead wood. The profiles showed the presence of two well-known endosymbiotic bacteria, namely, Rickettsia and Wolbachia. According to our findings, the bacterial communities associated with larvae and adults of both L. fuliginosus and P. laticollis formed clusters according to the host’s identity and its developmental stage. The profiles determined for the nest-carton formed a separate group. Our study is in line with a new research trend that is focusing on microbiota associated not only with ants, but also with myrmecophiles and ant nests inhabited by those species.