Antimicrobial Compounds in the Volatilome of Social Spider Communities

Abstract

Social arthropods such as termites, ants, and bees are among others the most successful animal groups on earth. However, social arthropods face an elevated risk of infections due to the dense colony structure, which facilitates pathogen transmission. An interesting hypothesis is that social arthropods are protected by chemical compounds produced by the arthropods themselves, microbial symbionts, or plants they associate with. Stegodyphus dumicola is an African social spider species, inhabiting communal silk nests. Because of the complex three-dimensional structure of the spider nest antimicrobial volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a promising protection against pathogens, because of their ability to diffuse through air-filled pores. We analyzed the volatilomes of S. dumicola, their nests, and capture webs in three locations in Namibia and assessed their antimicrobial potential. Volatilomes were collected using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) tubes and analyzed using GC/Q-TOF. We showed the presence of 199 VOCs and tentatively identified 53 VOCs. More than 40% of the tentatively identified VOCs are known for their antimicrobial activity. Here, six VOCs were confirmed by analyzing pure compounds namely acetophenone, 1,3-benzothiazole, 1-decanal, 2-decanone, 1-tetradecene, and docosane and for five of these compounds the antimicrobial activity were proven. The nest and web volatilomes had many VOCs in common, whereas the spider volatilomes were more differentiated. Clear differences were identified between the volatilomes from the different sampling sites which is likely justified by differences in the microbiomes of the spiders and nests, the plants, and the different climatic conditions. The results indicate the potential relevance of the volatilomes for the ecological success of S. dumicola.

Host Plant Availability and Nest-Site Selection of the Social Spider Stegodyphus dumicola Pocock, 1898 (Eresidae)

“…In our study, we found relatively more nests on Acacia mellifera and Combretum imberbe, which are both known for producing antimicrobial compounds [60][61][62][63]. Alternatively, the host plant could facilitate beneficial conditions for microorganisms that produce antimicrobial compounds or other metabolites beneficial to the spiders [58,59,64]. This poses the interesting question of whether spiders can acquire particular beneficial microbial nest symbionts by choice of host plant, or by integrating specific plant material into the nest.…”

“…The S. dumicola nest is made predominantly of silk, into which plant material and sometimes exoskeletons of prey is incorporated, and the nest hosts a unique microbiome [58]. A recent study showed that S. dumicola nests (the actual silk retreat) contain volatile organic compounds with antimicrobial properties, which may protect the spiders against pathogens; many of these volatiles likely originated from the host plants [59]. The nest microbiome and associated volatile compounds are influenced by the local environment, notably by the plants on which the spiders build their nests [59].…”

“…A recent study showed that S. dumicola nests (the actual silk retreat) contain volatile organic compounds with antimicrobial properties, which may protect the spiders against pathogens; many of these volatiles likely originated from the host plants [59]. The nest microbiome and associated volatile compounds are influenced by the local environment, notably by the plants on which the spiders build their nests [59]. In our study, we found relatively more nests on Acacia mellifera and Combretum imberbe, which are both known for producing antimicrobial compounds [60][61][62][63].…”

Extraction and Identification Potent Antibacterial Bioactive Compound of Streptomyces sp. MB 106 from Euphorbia sp. Rhizosphere

“…Nonadecane was reported to have antimicrobial activity, anti-HIV, and antioxidants (Kumar et al, 2018). Docosane had displayed antimicrobial activities against Bacillus thuringiensis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans (Lammers et al, 2021) Heneicosane has been reported to have antimicrobial effect on pathogenic microorganisms. Heneicosane extracted from Plumbago zeylanica was used for measuring the antimicrobial activity.…”

Air Ambulance: Antimicrobial Power of Bacterial Volatiles

“…Hence, volatiles spread fast in both the gas and water phase [ 26 ]. Via the gaseous phase, volatiles can spread in highly complex ecosystems such as soil [ 27 ], insect nests [ 28 ] and spider nests [ 29 ] and can fulfill functions such as communication [ 30 ] and antimicrobial defense [ 31 ] which cannot be performed by solvents due to the lack of effective spreading.…”