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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbial Symbioses
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1433909

Effects of developmental stages, sex difference, and diet types of the host marmalade hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) on symbiotic bacteria

Provisionally accepted
Xiaoyun Wang Xiaoyun Wang 1,2*Ningbo Huangfu Ningbo Huangfu 1,2*Lulu Chen Lulu Chen 3*Kaixin Zhang Kaixin Zhang 1,4*Dongyang Li Dongyang Li 1,4*Xueke Gao Xueke Gao 1Bingbing Li Bingbing Li 5*Li Wang Li Wang 1,4*Zhu Xiangzhen Zhu Xiangzhen 1,4*Jichao Ji Jichao Ji 1,4,6*Junyu Luo Junyu Luo 1,4,6*Jinjie Cui Jinjie Cui 1,4,6
  • 1 State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research (CAAS), Anyang, Henan, China
  • 2 Hubei Key Laboratory of Insect Resource Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
  • 3 Xinjiang Agricultural University, Ürümqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Region, China
  • 4 Center for Western Agricultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Changji, China
  • 5 State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan Province, China
  • 6 State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Symbiotic bacteria play key roles in a variety of important life processes of insects such as development, reproduction and environmental adaptation, and the elucidation of symbiont population structure and dynamics is crucial for revealing the underlying regulatory mechanisms. The marmalade hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) is not only a remarkable aphid predator, but also a worldwide pollinator second to honeybees. However, its symbiont composition and dynamics remain unclear. Herein, we investigate the symbiotic bacterial dynamics in marmalade hoverfly throughout whole life cycle, across two sexes, and in its prey Megoura crassicauda by 16S rRNA sequencing. In general, the dominant phyla were Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, and the dominant genera were Serratia and Wolbachia. Serratia mainly existed in the larval stage of hoverfly with the highest relative abundance of 86.24 % in the 1 st instar larvae. Wolbachia was found in adults and eggs with the highest relative abundance of 62.80 % in eggs. Significant difference in species diversity was observed between the adults feeding on pollen and larvae feeding on M. crassicauda, in which the dominant symbiotic bacteria were Asaia and Serratia, respectively. However, between two sexes, the symbionts exhibited high similarity in species composition. In addition, our results suggested that E. balteatus obtainded Serratia mainly through horizontal transmission by feeding on prey aphids, whereas it acquired Wolbachia mainly through intergeneration vertical transmission. Taken together, our study revealed the effects of development stages, diet types and genders of E. balteatus on symbionts, and explored transmission modes of dominant bacteria Serratia and Wolbachia.Our findings lay a foundation for further studying the roles of symbiotic bacteria in E. balteatus life cycle, which will benefit for revealing the co-adaptation mechanisms of insects and symbiotic bacteria.

    Keywords: marmalade hoverfly, Symbiont dynamics, 16S rRNA sequencing, Development stages, Diet type, horizontal or vertical transmission

    Received: 16 May 2024; Accepted: 07 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Huangfu, Chen, Zhang, Li, Gao, Li, Wang, Xiangzhen, Ji, Luo and Cui. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Xiaoyun Wang, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research (CAAS), Anyang, 455000, Henan, China
    Ningbo Huangfu, Hubei Key Laboratory of Insect Resource Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei Province, China
    Lulu Chen, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Ürümqi, 830052, Xinjiang Uyghur Region, China
    Kaixin Zhang, Center for Western Agricultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Changji, 831100, China
    Dongyang Li, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research (CAAS), Anyang, 455000, Henan, China
    Bingbing Li, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, Henan Province, China
    Li Wang, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research (CAAS), Anyang, 455000, Henan, China
    Zhu Xiangzhen, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research (CAAS), Anyang, 455000, Henan, China
    Jichao Ji, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research (CAAS), Anyang, 455000, Henan, China
    Junyu Luo, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research (CAAS), Anyang, 455000, Henan, China

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