Composition and diversity of gut microbiota across developmental stages of Spodoptera frugiperda and its effect on the reproduction

Abstract

IntroductionSpodoptera frugiperda is a serious world-wide agricultural pest. Gut microorganisms play crucial roles in growth, development, immunity and behavior of host insects.MethodsHere, we reported the composition of gut microbiota in a laboratory-reared strain of S. frugiperda using 16S rDNA sequencing and the effects of gut microbiota on the reproduction.ResultsProteobacteria and Firmicutes were the predominant bacteria and the taxonomic composition varied during the life cycle. Alpha diversity indices indicated that the eggs had higher bacterial diversity than larvae, pupae and adults. Furthermore, eggs harbored a higher abundance of Ralstonia, Sediminibacterium and microbes of unclassified taxonomy. The dynamics changes in bacterial communities resulted in differences in the metabolic functions of the gut microbiota during development. Interestingly, the laid eggs in antibiotic treatment groups did not hatch much due to the gut dysbacteriosis, the results showed gut microbiota had a significant impact on the male reproduction.DiscussionOur findings provide new perspectives to understand the intricate associations between microbiota and host, and have value for the development of S. frugiperda management strategies focusing on the pest gut microbiota.

Comparative analysis of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) corn and rice strains microbiota revealed minor changes across life cycle and strain endosymbiont association

“…In fact, FAW gut microbiota increases from gamma-irradiated leaves and an artificial diet to greenhouses corn leaves and field leaves ( Mason et al, 2020 ). Fu et al (2023) and Li et al (2022) analyzed the microbiota of FAW corn populations through their life cycle. They also studied the microbiota effect on FAW reproduction.…”

“…Spodoptera frugiperda , also known as fall armyworm (FAW), is an endemic species of the Western Hemisphere and one of the most devastating pests in corn worldwide ( Yainna et al, 2022 ; Guo et al, 2022 ; Fu et al, 2023 ; Tambo et al, 2023 ). Currently, FAW has been characterized as an invasive species in several African countries ( Yainna et al, 2022 ), India ( Sharanabasappa et al, 2018 ), Thailand ( IPPC, 2018 ), China ( IPPC, 2019 ) and Australia ( FAO, 2020 ).…”

“…FAW is known to have genetic resistance to insecticides and Bt endotoxin ( Yainna et al, 2022 ; Fiteni et al, 2022 ; Gimenez et al, 2020 ); however, the swift development of FAW’s resistance to insecticides and Bt ( Gimenez et al, 2020 ; Castañeda-Molina et al, 2023 ) highlights the need for finding more efficient ways to control it. The effects of microbiota on host insects have now provided new perspectives for the development of alternative strategies for pest control ( Fu et al, 2023 ). The insect microbiota is associated with a wide range of beneficial host–microbe functions, including food digestion, nutrition, protection, immune response modulation, and detoxification of xenobiotics ( Almeida et al, 2017 ; Guo et al, 2022 ; Jeon et al, 2023 ).…”

“…These bacteria can tolerate and break down several insecticides, such as deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, chlorpyrifos ethyl, spinosad, and lufenuron, as observed in laboratory experiments. The microbiota isolated from insects through culture-dependent approaches is also essential for understanding the physiological potential of isolated organisms and can be used in other experiments ( Higuita-Palacio et al, 2021 ), particularly from insect’s life cycles ( Chen et al, 2016 ; Li et al, 2022 ; Fu et al, 2023 ) as they can be tested against Bt endotoxins ( Castañeda-Molina et al, 2023 ) or insecticides ( Almeida et al, 2017 ; Gomes, Omoto & Cônsoli, 2020 ), even though their diversity is higher from field samples ( Gomes, Omoto & Cônsoli, 2020 ) as they have to be kept under laboratory conditions. The discovery of endosymbionts can also be crucial in finding new strategies for insect control.…”

“…These studies have provided a single snapshot of the microbial species composition of the community ( Chen et al, 2016 ). Other studies have analyzed the microbiota in the corn strain during the FAW life cycle ( Fu et al, 2023 ; Li et al, 2022 ; Lü et al, 2023 ). Nevertheless, until now, none of these works has comprehensively investigated the FAW (CS and RS) strain microbiota throughout their life cycle.…”