The beetle gut: a hyperdiverse source of novel yeasts

Abstract

We isolated over 650 yeasts over a three year period from the gut of a variety of beetles and characterized them on the basis of LSU rDNA sequences and morphological and metabolic traits. Of these, at least 200 were undescribed taxa, a number equivalent to almost 30% of all currently recognized yeast species. A Bayesian analysis of species discovery rates predicts further sampling of previously sampled habitats could easily produce another 100 species. The sampled habitat is, thereby, estimated to contain well over half as many more species as are currently known worldwide. The beetle gut yeasts occur in 45 independent lineages scattered across the yeast phylogenetic tree, often in clusters. The distribution suggests that the some of the yeasts diversified by a process of horizontal transmission in the habitats and subsequent specialization in association with insect hosts. Evidence of specialization comes from consistent associations over time and broad geographical ranges of certain yeast and beetle species. The discovery of high yeast diversity in a previously unexplored habitat is a first step toward investigating the basis of the interactions and their impact in relation to ecology and evolution.

Cultivation of Trichosporon mycotoxinivorans in sugarcane bagasse hemicellulosic hydrolyzate

“…Abe et al (2010) have described the presence of T. mycotoxinivorans in fresh shavings of palm tissue that were damaged by beetle larvae (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae) in Japan. It occurrence was also described in grape marc in southern Peloponnese, Greece, by Ntougias et al (2010), which reports it as closely related to an unidentified member of Trichosporon clade, isolated from the xylophagous beetle Phrenapetes bennetti (Tenebrionidae), collected in Panama by Suh et al (2005). Hickey et al (2009) have found T. mycotoxinivorans to be a novel respiratory pathogen in patients with cystic fibrosis.…”

Biodiversity of Yeasts in the Gastrointestinal Ecosystem with Emphasis on Its Importance for the Host

“…For these purposes faecal or digesta samples have been collected from large animals (Urubschurov et al, 2008; or whole intestines from e.g. insects have been dissected (Suh et al, 2004b;2005a;Nguyen et al, 2007). Whereas rain worms, termites or other small animals can provide the whole GIT for the studies, only part of contents of wall of the GIT can be studied in large animals.…”

“…It thereby underlined the impact of the host and/or environmental factors on the yeasts diversity. Nevertheless, examination of yeasts harbouring the GIT of beetles from 27 families reviled a huge variety of yeasts (Suh et al, 2005a During three-years-period, Suh et al (2005a) isolated about 650 yeasts from the gut of diverse beetles collected from the south-eastern USA and Panama. Sequence analyses of the D1&D2 domains of LSU rRNA gene revealed 290 single species belonging to at least 27 taxa ( Fig.…”

“…In the meantime, some of them (table 1) were characterized by Suh, Nguyen, Blackwell and their co-workers. Based on their observation Suh et al (2005a) suggested that almost each beetle species may be a host for at least one unknown yeast species. In the last decades, describing of many novel species of yeasts isolated from the gut of insects corroborates this supposition.…”

Isolation and Characterization of Hydrocarbon Utilizing Yeast (HUY) Isolates from Palm Wine

“…Some are normal flora on skin surfaces; others are parasitic or symbiotic and are mostly common in environments where there is a sugar-rich material. Some are associated with soil and insects [7,8].…”