Profiling the Succession of Bacterial Communities throughout the Life Stages of a Higher Termite Nasutitermes arborum (Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae) Using 16S rRNA Gene Pyrosequencing

Abstract

Previous surveys of the gut microbiota of termites have been limited to the worker caste. Termite gut microbiota has been well documented over the last decades and consists mainly of lineages specific to the gut microbiome which are maintained across generations. Despite this intimate relationship, little is known of how symbionts are transmitted to each generation of the host, especially in higher termites where proctodeal feeding has never been reported. The bacterial succession across life stages of the wood-feeding higher termite Nasutitermes arborum was characterized by 16S rRNA gene deep sequencing. The microbial community in the eggs, mainly affiliated to Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, was markedly different from the communities in the following developmental stages. In the first instar and last instar larvae and worker caste termites, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were less abundant than Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Spirochaetes, Fibrobacteres and the candidate phylum TG3 from the last instar larvae. Most of the representatives of these phyla (except Firmicutes) were identified as termite-gut specific lineages, although their relative abundances differed. The most salient difference between last instar larvae and worker caste termites was the very high proportion of Spirochaetes, most of which were affiliated to the Treponema Ic, Ia and If subclusters, in workers. The results suggest that termite symbionts are not transmitted from mother to offspring but become established by a gradual process allowing the offspring to have access to the bulk of the microbiota prior to the emergence of workers, and, therefore, presumably through social exchanges with nursing workers.

Microbial Communities of the Gut and Nest of the Humus- and Litter-Feeding Termite Procornitermes araujoi (Syntermitinae)

“…The gut microbiota of P. araujoi was dominated by a core set of bacterial lineages that were present across workers and soldiers, which is consistent with other species of Termitidae [17,18,48]. However, there is still little information about the mechanisms of transmission of gut symbionts among colony members in termites.…”

A technical soda lignin as sole carbon-diet for a higher termite species, Nasutitermes ephratae: insight into the changes in the gut bacterial community and in the lignin phenolic fraction

“…Porphyromonadaceae_Gut_Group and Rikenellaceae (Bacteroidetes) [25,26]. Our findings may be valuable for the development of bacterial inoculum for pretreatment processes in valorization of technical grass soda lignins.…”

“…In line with that of congeneric Nasutitermes spp. [7,25,31], the structure of bacterial gut community in birch woodfed termites (control) showed the predominance of Spirochetes and Fibrobacteres. By contrast, ingestion of PB1000 triggered the decrease of the relative abundance of these phyla and the increase of the Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes.…”

“…The effects of PB1000 on the physiological activities of N. ephratae were investigated by monitoring (i) the survival rates of termite as compared to usual birch wood diet, (ii) the changes in the gut bacterial community (iii) and the modifications of the chemical structure of this technical lignin. To assess the changes in termite-gut bacterial, classification level at phylum and family of bacterial 16S rRNA genes was performed using next generation sequencing method as described in most previous studies on termite gut microbiota [25,26]. Analytical pyrolysis combined to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) is widely used to investigate the chemical structure of lignins and biomass [27,28].…”

Harnessing microfluidic streak plate technique to investigate the gut microbiome of Reticulitermes chinensis

“…We successfully cultivated a range of bacterial strains belonging to the Delftia, Comamonas, Acinetobacter, Moraxella, Luteimona, Sphingomonas, Bosea, Methylobacterium, Corynebacterium, Janibacter, Propionibacterium, and Sphingobacterium with MSP method in this study. Of note, the occurrence of these bacterial taxa in termite gut had been previously detected with molecular tools but they had not been cultivated (Butera et al, 2016;Diouf et al, 2015;Fall et al, 2007;Hongoh et al, 2005;Husseneder, Berestecky, & Grace, 2009;Matsui, Tanaka, Namihira, & Shinzato, 2012;Nakajima, Hongoh, Usami, Kudo, & Ohkuma, 2005;Thong-On et al, 2012;Visser, Nobre, Currie, Aanen, & Poulsen, 2012;Zhu et al, 2012). The members of Massilia, Hydrogenophaga, Hydrogenophilus, Neisseria, Helicobacter, Thermomonas, Dokdonella, Acidiphilium, Hyphomicrobium, Paracoccus, Microvirga, Peredibacter, Anaerococcus, Aneurinibacillus, Geobacillus, Gemella, Alicyclobacillus, Veillonella, Oribacterium, Faecalibacterium, Prevotella, Alloprevotella, Flavisolibacter, and Flavobacterium represented an unclassified member of Proteobacteria, and its 16S…”