Project description:For phytophagous insects, the efficiency of utilization of hemicellulose and cellulose depends on the gut microbiota. Shifts in environmental and management conditions alter the presence and abundance of plant species which may induce adaptations in the diversity of gut microbiota. To test the adaptation of the microbiota to a shift from a natural diverse to a monocultural meadow with Dactylis glomerata the highly abundant grasshopper species, Chorthippus dorsatus, was taken from the wild and kept in captivity and were fed with Dactylis glomerata for five days. The feces were collected and analyzed by metaproteomics. After the diet shift from a diverse source to the single source, the microbiota composition stays relatively stable. The Bacilli as the group of highest abundance did not change on the functional level. In contrast, pronounced shifts of amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism in Clostridia and Proteobacteria were observed. Hence, the adaptation upon short-term change of food source in this grasshopper species is dominated by functional adaptations and not by shifts in the community structure of the microbiota. This suggests that the microbiota of grasshoppers is capable to cope also with the loss of diverse feeding plants at least for a shorter time period.
2017-01-02 | PXD005126 | Pride
Project description:Chorthippus parallelus X microdissected