Biology subjects

Phalnikar, K.

Publications and source records attributed to Phalnikar, K..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2019

Disrupting butterfly microbiomes does not affect host survival and development

Associations with gut microbes play a crucial role in the physiology, immune function, development, and behavior of many insects. However, butterflies may be an exception to this pattern since butterfly microbiomes do not show the host-specific and developmental shifts that are expected to evolve under strong host-microbial associations. Here, we present the first experimental test of this hypothesis by disrupting gut microbial communities of two butterfly species, Danaus chrysippus and Ariadne merione. Larvae of both the species fed on host plant leaves that were either chemically sterilized or treated with antibiotics had significantly reduced bacterial loads and disrupted gut bacterial communities substantially. However, neither host species treated this way suffered a significant fitness cost. We did not find significant variation in survival, growth and development between test larvae and control larvae. This suggested that butterflies do not rely on their gut bacteria for digestion, detoxification, resource accumulation and metamorphosis. Thus, our results provide empirical support for the growing realization that dependence on gut bacteria for growth and survival is not a universal phenomenon across insects.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2017

DIETARY AND DEVELOPMENTAL SHIFTS IN BUTTERFLY-ASSOCIATED BACTERIAL COMMUNITIES

Bacterial communities associated with insects can substantially influence host ecology, evolution and behavior. Host diet is a key factor that shapes bacterial communities, but the impact of dietary transitions across insect development is poorly understood. We analyzed bacterial communities of 12 butterfly species across different development stages, using 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing. Butterfly larvae typically consume leaves of a single host plant, whereas adults are more generalist nectar feeders. Thus, we expected bacterial communities to vary substantially across butterfly development. Surprisingly, very few species showed significant developmental transitions in bacterial communities, suggesting weak impacts of dietary transitions across butterfly development. On the other hand, bacterial communities were strongly influenced by butterfly species identity and dietary variation across species. Larvae of most butterfly species largely mirrored bacterial community composition of their diets, suggesting passive acquisition rather than active selection. Overall, our results suggest that although butterflies harbor distinct microbiomes across taxonomic groups and dietary guilds, the dramatic dietary shifts that occur during development do not impose strong selection to maintain distinct bacterial communities.

ecology↗