ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION OF MICROBIAL (A)SYMBIOSIS IN LEPIDOPTERA
You, and all other humans, are infected by trillions of microorganisms in and on your body. Many of these microbes are beneficial; for example, they help digest our food and ward off pathogens. The normal condition for us, and many other animals, is to be colonized by microbes and to be dependent in many ways on microbial services. Now, it is almost a truism that the symbiotic lifestyle is universal--a fact of animal life.
Caterpillars, however, take exception to this generalization. At some point in their evolutionary history, leaf-feeding caterpillars have figured out how to live independently from microbes. Bacteria, fungi, protozoans and viruses pass through the caterpillar gut during feeding, and some occasionally cause disease, but they do not typically take up residence in the caterpillar's body, nor do they appear to be needed for caterpillar feeding and development. This finding, the outcome of collaborative research I have been involved in, raises all sorts of interesting questions; for example, what about adult butterflies and moths? Are non-herbivorous caterpillars, such as those that eat wood or feathers, different? Why, when and how did this evolve? How widespread is "asymbiosis"? Stay tuned!
Caterpillars, however, take exception to this generalization. At some point in their evolutionary history, leaf-feeding caterpillars have figured out how to live independently from microbes. Bacteria, fungi, protozoans and viruses pass through the caterpillar gut during feeding, and some occasionally cause disease, but they do not typically take up residence in the caterpillar's body, nor do they appear to be needed for caterpillar feeding and development. This finding, the outcome of collaborative research I have been involved in, raises all sorts of interesting questions; for example, what about adult butterflies and moths? Are non-herbivorous caterpillars, such as those that eat wood or feathers, different? Why, when and how did this evolve? How widespread is "asymbiosis"? Stay tuned!
About me
Blacklighting for moths in Guanacaste, Costa Rica
I am a PhD candidate in Noah Fierer's lab and in Deane Bowers' lab at the University of Colorado at Boulder. In addition to research in gastroentomology, I hope to contribute to increasing diversity and equity in STEM education and academia. Feel free to email me directly via the button at the top of the page! If you would like to leave an anonymous comment about this website or about my research, please use this form.
Keywords:
Lepidoptera
microbiome
symbiosis
caterpillars
microbial communities
Heliconius butterflies
plant-insect interactions
gut microbiota
herbivory
Keywords:
Lepidoptera
microbiome
symbiosis
caterpillars
microbial communities
Heliconius butterflies
plant-insect interactions
gut microbiota
herbivory
