Gut bacterial diversity on the basis of feeding behaviour in different species of thrips (Thysanoptera)

Thrips, tiny to medium sized insects with fringed wings are economically important due to their pestiferous and predatory behaviour. They have a wide range of feeding habitats i.e. leaf feeders, to flower, spore, and fungus feeders. Here, we comprehensively characterized the gut bacteria of nine thrips species collected from two geographical areas of India. Moreover, an attempt to elucidate the impact of different feeding habits (leaf, flower, and spore) on the gut microbiota was also carried out. Comparative analyses revealed that the gut bacterial structure at the phylum level was almost similar with dominant phyla such as Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes with few exceptions. Further, at genera level, the gut bacteria were significantly different and revealed the presence of the highest abundance of Rosenbergiella, Wolbachia, Curtobacterium Acinetobacter, and Pseudomonas. Moreover, the gut microbiota was involved in pathways such as Biosynthesis of amino acids, vitamin metabolism etc.

Automated summary

This study comprehensively characterized the gut bacteria of nine thrips species collected from two geographical areas of India and attempted to elucidate the impact of different feeding habits on the gut microbiota. The results showed that the gut bacterial structure at the phylum level was similar among different thrips species, but significantly different at the genus level. The gut microbiota was involved in various metabolic pathways.