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.

Summary

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.

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