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Patterns, causes and consequences of defensive microbiome dynamics across multiple scales
Andrew H Smith1, Piotr Łukasik, Michael P O'Connor
1Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
Molecular Ecology
|February 17, 2015
Summary
The pea aphid
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Microbiology
- Ecology
Background:
- The microbiome influences host traits and evolution.
- Heritable symbionts are crucial for host adaptation.
- Pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum) are a model for symbiosis research.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate seasonal microbiome shifts in pea aphids.
- Examine symbiont impacts on host evolution and ecology.
- Understand the dynamics of heritable defensive bacteria.
Main Methods:
- Field sampling of pea aphid populations.
- Analysis of seasonal microbiome composition.
- Correlation of symbiont frequencies with host traits and pressures.
Main Results:
- Observed seasonal shifts in defensive bacterial frequencies.
- Evidence for symbiont-driven adaptation to parasitoids.
- Negative correlation between symbiont levels and enemy-driven mortality.
- Identified microbiome instability and potential costs of superinfection.
Conclusions:
- Defensive symbionts impact host-enemy eco-evolutionary dynamics.
- Microbiome complexity may limit contemporary symbiont-driven evolution.
- Findings have broad implications for understanding defensive microbes in nature.
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