Natural variation in chemosensation: lessons from an island nematode

McGaughran, Angela; Morgan, Katy; Sommer, Ralf J.

doi:10.1002/ece3.902

Cited by 21 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…; McGaughran et al . ), we expected most Los Angeles isolates to exhibit weak attraction to the oriental beetle pheromone. We found that only a single one of 12 Cyclocephala ‐derived strains exhibited attraction to the oriental beetle pheromone (Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

The bacterial community of entomophilic nematodes and host beetles

et al. 2016

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Insects form the most species-rich lineage of Eukaryotes and each is a potential host for organisms from multiple phyla, including fungi, protozoa, mites, bacteria, and nematodes. In particular, beetles are known to be associated with distinct bacterial communities and entomophilic nematodes. While entomopathogenic nematodes require symbiotic bacteria to kill and reproduce inside their insect hosts, the microbial ecology that facilitates other types of nematode-insect associations is largely unknown. To illuminate detailed patterns of the tritrophic beetle-nematode-bacteria relationship, we surveyed the nematode infestation profiles of scarab beetles in the greater Los Angeles area over a five-year period and found distinct nematode infestation patterns for certain beetle hosts. Over a single season, we characterized the bacterial communities of beetles and their associated nematodes using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. We found significant differences in bacterial community composition among the five prevalent beetle host species, independent of geographic origin. Anaerobes Synergistaceae and sulfate-reducing Desulfovibrionaceae were most abundant in Amblonoxia beetles, while Enterobacteriaceae and Lachnospiraceae were common in Cyclocephala beetles. Unlike entomopathogenic nematodes that carry bacterial symbionts, insect-associated nematodes do not alter the beetles’ native bacterial communities, nor do their microbiomes differ according to nematode or beetle host species. The conservation of Diplogastrid nematodes associations with Melolonthinae beetles and sulfate-reducing bacteria suggests a possible link between beetle bacterial communities and their associated nematodes. Our results establish a starting point towards understanding the dynamic interactions between soil macroinvertebrates and their microbiota in a highly accessible urban environment.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

The bacterial community of entomophilic nematodes and host beetles

et al. 2016

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“…Studies on La Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean revealed that P. pacificus has invaded this island multiple times independently with different carrier beetles, resulting in this island harboring the complete worldwide diversity of P. pacificus haplotypes (Herrmann et al ., ; Morgan et al ., ). Indeed, the population structure and evolutionary history of P. pacificus on La Réunion Island provided a paradigm for detailed studies of the nematodes´ adaptations to new environments (McGaughran et al ., ; 2014; ; Morgan et al ., ; Moreno et al ., ). Among several P. pacificus hosts on La Réunion, the endemic rhinoceros beetle Oryctes borbonicus represents an interesting study system because more than 90% of beetle individuals harbor P. pacificus dauer larvae (Morgan et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Succession and dynamics of Pristionchus nematodes and their microbiome during decomposition of Oryctes borbonicus on La Réunion Island

Meyer

Baskaran

Quast

et al. 2017

Environmental Microbiology

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Insects and nematodes represent the most species-rich animal taxa and they occur together in a variety of associations. Necromenic nematodes of the genus Pristionchus are found on scarab beetles with more than 30 species known from worldwide samplings. However, little is known about the dynamics and succession of nematodes and bacteria during the decomposition of beetle carcasses. Here, we study nematode and bacterial succession of the decomposing rhinoceros beetle Oryctes borbonicus on La Réunion Island. We show that Pristionchus pacificus exits the arrested dauer stage seven days after the beetles´ deaths. Surprisingly, new dauers are seen after 11 days, suggesting that some worms return to the dauer stage after one reproductive cycle. We used high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes of decaying beetles, beetle guts and nematodes to study bacterial communities in comparison to soil. We find that soil environments have the most diverse bacterial communities. The bacterial community of living and decaying beetles are more stable but one single bacterial family dominates the microbiome of decaying beetles. In contrast, the microbiome of nematodes is relatively similar even across different families. This study represents the first characterization of the dynamics of nematode-bacterial interactions during the decomposition of insects.

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“…Olfactory behavior has also been studied in Pristionchus pacificus , a necromenic species that associates with beetles [87]. Necromenic nematodes do not kill their hosts, but rather wait for their hosts to die and then propagate on the host cadaver.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As such, necromeny is often considered an evolutionary intermediate between free-living and parasitic life styles. P. pacificus is attracted to live beetles as well as beetle odorants, beetle pheromone, and plant odorants [87,88]. Olfactory preferences differ among wild P. pacificus strains and among closely related Pristionchus species, perhaps reflecting differences in their host preferences [87,88].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…P. pacificus is attracted to live beetles as well as beetle odorants, beetle pheromone, and plant odorants [87,88]. Olfactory preferences differ among wild P. pacificus strains and among closely related Pristionchus species, perhaps reflecting differences in their host preferences [87,88]. Natural variation in the responses of different P. pacificus strains to beetle pheromone is associated with the cGMP-dependent protein kinase gene egl-4 [89], raising the possibility that cGMP signaling contributes to host seeking in parasitic nematodes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Olfactory circuits and behaviors of nematodes

Rengarajan

Hallem

2016

Current Opinion in Neurobiology

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Summary Over one billion people worldwide are infected with parasitic nematodes. Many parasitic nematodes actively search for hosts to infect using volatile chemical cues, so understanding the olfactory signals that drive host seeking may elucidate new pathways for preventing infections. The free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a powerful model for parasitic nematodes: because sensory neuroanatomy is conserved across nematode species, an understanding of the microcircuits that mediate olfaction in C. elegans may inform studies of olfaction in parasitic nematodes. Here we review circuit mechanisms that allow C. elegans to respond to odorants, gases, and pheromones. We also highlight work on the olfactory behaviors of parasitic nematodes that lays the groundwork for future studies of their olfactory microcircuits.

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Natural variation in chemosensation: lessons from an island nematode

Cited by 21 publications

References 37 publications

The bacterial community of entomophilic nematodes and host beetles

The bacterial community of entomophilic nematodes and host beetles

Succession and dynamics of Pristionchus nematodes and their microbiome during decomposition of Oryctes borbonicus on La Réunion Island

Olfactory circuits and behaviors of nematodes

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