Dietary Utilization Drives the Differentiation of Gut Bacterial Communities between Specialist and Generalist Drosophilid Flies
Jia-Syuan Chen, Shun-Chern Tsaur, Chau‐Ti Ting, Shu Fang
Abstract
Gut bacteria may play roles in the dietary utilization of hosts, especially in specialist animals, during long-term host-microbe interaction. By comparing the gut bacterial communities between specialist and generalist drosophilid flies, we found that specialists harbor more bacteria linked to complex carbohydrate degradation, amino acid metabolism, vitamin B 12 formation, and detoxification than do generalists.
Topics & Concepts
Generalist and specialist speciesBiologyBacteroidetesProteobacteriaHost (biology)FirmicutesEcologyDrosophila (subgenus)Microbial metabolismBacteriaZoologyBiochemistryHabitatGenetics16S ribosomal RNAGeneInsect symbiosis and bacterial influencesInsect behavior and control techniquesPlant and animal studies