Gut microbiota composition in the sympatric and diet‐sharing Drosophila simulans and Dicranocephalus wallichii bowringi shaped largely by community assembly processes rather than regional species pool

Abstract

Clarifying the mechanisms underlying microbial community assembly from regional microbial pools is a central issue of microbial ecology, but remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigated the gut bacterial and fungal microbiome assembly processes and potential sources in Drosophila simulans and Dicranocephalus wallichii bowringi, two wild, sympatric insect species that share a common diet of waxberry. While some convergence was observed, the diversity, composition, and network structure of the gut microbiota significantly differed between these two host species. Null model analyses revealed that stochastic processes (e.g., drift, dispersal limitation) play a principal role in determining gut microbiota from both hosts. However, the strength of each ecological process varied with the host species. Furthermore, the source‐tracking analysis showed that only a minority of gut microbiota within D. simulans and D. wallichii bowringi are drawn from a regional microbial pool from waxberries, leaves, or soil. Results from function prediction implied that host species‐specific gut microbiota might arise partly through host functional requirement and specific selection across host–microbiota coevolution. In conclusion, our findings uncover the importance of community assembly processes over regional microbial pools in shaping sympatric insect gut microbiome structure and function.

Functional and Compositional Changes in Sirex noctilio Gut Microbiome in Different Habitats: Unraveling the Complexity of Invasive Adaptation

“…This suggested that the encounter between the two Sirex species may have remodeled the larval gut microbiome. Similar results demonstrating the importance of stochastic processes were also observed in studies on gut microbial communities in Drosophila simulans and Dicranocephalus wallichii bowringi [ 39 ]. Another study also showed that Curculio chinensis gut microbiome was derived from the surrounding environmental microbiome and was more affected by the microbiome from soil than that from fruits [ 40 ].…”

Linking Carbendazim Accumulation with Soil and Endophytic Microbial Community Diversities, Compositions, Functions, and Assemblies: Effects of Urea-hydrogen Peroxide and Nitrification Inhibitors

“…The microbial community assembly processes were qualified according to a previous study . Null model analysis was used to quantify the deviations of absolute phylogenetic distances from the random phylogenetic distance.…”

Visualizing set relationships: EVenn's comprehensive approach to Venn diagrams

“…Exploring microbiome specificity is crucial for understanding ecological roles, diagnosing diseases, unraveling evolution, and exploring biotechnological potential [ 15 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. An interactive flower plot serves as a valuable tool to display both common shared and unique sets among more than 10 microbiome sets, offering an alternative method.…”