Abstract

Insects interact with microorganisms in several situations, ranging from the accidental interaction to locate attractive food or the acquisition of essential nutrients missing in the main food source. Despite a wealth of studies recently focused on bacteria, the interactions between insects and yeasts have relevant implications for both of the parties involved. The insect intestine shows several structural and physiological differences among species, but it is generally a hostile environment for many microorganisms, selecting against the most sensitive and at the same time guaranteeing a less competitive environment to resistant ones. An intensive characterization of the interactions between yeasts and insects has highlighted their relevance not only for attraction to food but also for the insect's development and behaviour. Conversely, some yeasts have been shown to benefit from interactions with insects, in some cases by being carried among different environments. In addition, the insect intestine may provide a place to reside for prolonged periods and possibly mate or generate sexual forms able to mate once back in the external environments.YEA‐May‐17‐0084.R3

Highlights

  • With almost 1,000,000 described species and approximately 6 million estimated total species, insects represent a large part of the biodiversity on Earth (Larsen, Miller, Rhodes, & Wiens, 2017)

  • This review describes the most relevant known yeast–insect associations between ‘true yeasts’ (Saccharomycetes) (Kurtzman, Fell, & Boekhout, 2011) and insects, reporting, where known, the establishment process and the benefits achieved by both insects and yeasts

  • Studies have focused primarily on the description of yeast communities associated with insects relevant to human activities

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Summary

Introduction

With almost 1,000,000 described species and approximately 6 million estimated total species, insects represent a large part of the biodiversity on Earth (Larsen, Miller, Rhodes, & Wiens, 2017). The identification of new species found only in the insect intestine, and the assessment of the ability of yeasts to mate in this environment, recently expanded our knowledge.

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