Nitrogen fixation in the stag beetle, Dorcus (Macrodorcus) rectus (Motschulsky) (Col., Lucanidae)

Kuranouchi, T.; Nakamura, Toshihide; Shimamura, Satoshi; Kojima, H.; Goka, Koichi; Okabe, Kimiko; Mochizuki, Atsushi

doi:10.1111/j.1439-0418.2006.01080.x

Cited by 42 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(16 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Atmospheric N 2 -fixation is executed by bacterial symbionts of some invertebrates 36, 37, 38, 39, 40 , and prior detection of nitrogenase genes in ants 17, 29 has led to the proposal that symbiotic bacteria fix nitrogen for their hosts. To test this, three Cephalotes varians colonies were subjected to acetylene reduction assays within hours of field capture.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen conservation, conserved: 46 million years of N-recycling by the core symbionts of turtle ants

Łukasik

et al. 2017

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Nitrogen acquisition is a major challenge for herbivorous animals, and the repeated origins of herbivory across the ants have raised expectations that nutritional symbionts have shaped their diversification. Direct evidence for N-provisioning by internally housed symbionts is rare in animals; among the ants, it has been documented for just one lineage. In this study we dissect functional contributions by bacteria from a conserved, multi-partite gut symbiosis in herbivorous Cephalotes ants through in vivo experiments, (meta)genomics, and in vitro assays. Gut bacteria recycle urea, and likely uric acid, using recycled N to synthesize essential amino acids that are acquired by hosts in substantial quantities. Specialized core symbionts of 17 studied Cephalotes species encode the pathways directing these activities, and several recycle N in vitro. These findings point to a highly efficient N-economy, and a nutritional mutualism preserved for millions of years through the derived behaviors and gut anatomy of Cephalotes ants.CategoryBiological Sciences-Evolution

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen conservation, conserved: 46 million years of N-recycling by the core symbionts of turtle ants

Łukasik

et al. 2017

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…al. 2000), and stag beetles (Kuranouchi et al 2006), as well as symbiotic bacteria in the fungus gardens of leaf-cutter ants (Pinto-Tomas et al 2009) and Enterobacter sp. in fruit ßies (Behar et al 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gut Microbes Contribute to Nitrogen Provisioning in a Wood-Feeding Cerambycid

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Xylophagous insects often thrive on nutritionally suboptimal diets through symbiotic associations with microbes that supplement their nutritional requirements, particularly nitrogen. The wood-feeding cerambycid Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky) feeds on living, healthy host trees and harbors a diverse gut microbial community. We investigated gut microbial contributions to larval nitrogen requirements through nitrogen fixing and recycling (urea hydrolysis) processes, using a combination of molecular, biochemical, and stable isotope approaches. Genes and transcripts of conserved regions of the urease operon (ureC) and nitrogen fixing (nif) regulon (nifH) were detected in A. glabripennis eggs and larvae from naturally infested logs and from larvae reared on artificial diet. Significant nitrogen fixation and recycling were documented in larvae using (15)N2 gas and (15)N-urea, respectively. Subsequent (15)N-routing of incorporated recycled nitrogen into larval essential and nonessential amino acids was shown for (15)N-urea diet-fed larvae. Results from this study show significant gut microbial contributions to this insect's metabolic nitrogen utilization through nitrogenous waste product recycling and nitrogen fixation.

show abstract

“…Larval growth rates are also affected by nitrogen content [ 70 , 71 ] but the rotten wood that passalid beetles inhabit usually contains very low levels of nitrogen (the C/N ratio of rotten wood usually ranges from 100 to 200 [ 2 ]. Many species of insects inhabiting dead and rotten wood are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen to supplement the nitrogen source, including termites [ 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 ], a bark beetle [ 76 ], a xylophagous cockroach [ 77 ], a scarabaeid beetle [ 78 ], a stag beetle [ 79 ] and a passalid beetle [ 80 ]. Whether adults of C. patalis fix atmospheric nitrogen should be investigated.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Super-Protective Child-Rearing by Japanese Bess Beetles, Cylindrocaulus patalis: Adults Provide Their Larvae with Chewed and Predigested Wood

Mishima

Wada

Iwata

et al. 2016

Insects

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Beetles of the family Passalidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) are termed subsocial. The insects inhabit rotten wood as family groups consisting of the parents and their offspring. The Japanese species Cylindrocaulus patalis has the lowest fecundity among passalids because siblicide occurs among the first-instar larvae; accordingly, parental care toward the survived larva is the highest among Passalidae. To clarify the nutritional relationships between the parents and their offspring, we investigated their ability to digest three types of polysaccharides that are components of wood (cellulose and β-1,4-xylan) and fungal cell walls (β-1,3-glucan). Although carboxymethyl-cellulase activity was barely detectable, β-xylosidase, β-glucosidase, β-1,4-xylanase and β-1,3-glucanase activities were clearly detected in both adults and larvae. Because the activities of enzymes that digest β-1,3-glucan were much higher than those for degrading β-1,4-xylan, in both adults and larvae, it is concluded that they are mainly fungivorous. Furthermore, these digestive enzymatic activities in second- and third-instar larvae were much lower than they were in adults. Although all larval instars grew rapidly when fed chewed wood by their parents, larvae ceased growing and died when fed only artificially ground wood meals. We conclude that the larvae are assumed to be provided with chewed predigested wood in which β-1,3-glucan is degraded by parental enzymes.

show abstract

Nitrogen fixation in the stag beetle, Dorcus (Macrodorcus) rectus (Motschulsky) (Col., Lucanidae)

Cited by 42 publications

References 12 publications

Nitrogen conservation, conserved: 46 million years of N-recycling by the core symbionts of turtle ants

Nitrogen conservation, conserved: 46 million years of N-recycling by the core symbionts of turtle ants

Gut Microbes Contribute to Nitrogen Provisioning in a Wood-Feeding Cerambycid

Super-Protective Child-Rearing by Japanese Bess Beetles, Cylindrocaulus patalis: Adults Provide Their Larvae with Chewed and Predigested Wood

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About