Symbiont Digestive Range Reflects Host Plant Breadth in Herbivorous Beetles
Hassan Salem1, Roy Kirsch2, Yannick Pauchet2
1Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA; Mutualisms Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany.
Symbiotic bacteria with diverse pectinase capabilities enhance tortoise leaf beetle digestion and host plant utilization. This bacterial metabolic diversity drives evolutionary innovation in herbivorous insects.
Area of Science:
- Microbial Ecology
- Insect-Microbe Symbiosis
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Symbiotic relationships drive significant adaptations in host organisms.
- Tortoise leaf beetles (Cassidinae) rely on pectinolytic Stammera bacteria for digestion.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate how bacterial metabolic diversity in Stammera symbionts influences host digestive physiology and ecological opportunities.
- Detail the role of specific pectinases in beetle-host plant interactions.
Main Methods:
- Comparative genomics of 13 Stammera strains.
- Analysis of pectinase gene distribution (polygalacturonase and rhamnogalacturonan lyase).
- Correlation of symbiont capabilities with host beetle feeding patterns.
Main Results:
- Strains universally possess polygalacturonase, targeting homogalacturonan (HG).
- Rhamnogalacturonan lyase, targeting rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I), showed disparate distribution among symbionts.
- Beetles with RG-I-degrading symbionts depolymerized RG-I and utilized a broader range of angiosperms.
Conclusions:
- Symbiont metabolic diversity, particularly pectinase repertoire, expands host digestive capabilities.
- The presence of rhamnogalacturonan lyase in symbionts broadens host plant utilization.
- This symbiont-driven digestive range is a source of evolutionary innovation for herbivorous beetles.
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