DO LEAF-FEEDING CATERPILLARS HAVE A GUT MICROBIOME?
Citheronia lobesis (Saturniidae) in Costa Rica.
Our team has conducted a microbial survey of leaf-feeding caterpillars in Área de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG) in Costa Rica (in collaboration with Dan Janzen and Winnie Hallwachs), and New England USA (in collaboration with The Caterpillar Lab). We were interested in answering, for a broad swath of caterpillar diversity,
- How abundant are microbes found in caterpillar guts and feces?
- Are these microbes resident members of the caterpillar gut, "tourists" temporarily visiting from the environment, or pathogens?
- How important are leaf-associated microbes to the composition of the gut microbiome?
- Do these microbial communities vary according to host taxonomy?
This project was recently submitted for peer-review. The preprint is available here.
- How abundant are microbes found in caterpillar guts and feces?
- Are these microbes resident members of the caterpillar gut, "tourists" temporarily visiting from the environment, or pathogens?
- How important are leaf-associated microbes to the composition of the gut microbiome?
- Do these microbial communities vary according to host taxonomy?
This project was recently submitted for peer-review. The preprint is available here.
Do microbes influence feeding and development in manduca sexta?
Wild Manduca sexta in SE Arizona
Tobacco hornworms (larvae of Manduca sexta) are widely used for studies of insect physiology, development, immunology, and ecology, but relatively little is known about whether their basic biology is influenced by microbial symbionts. In an experiment based at SWRS in Arizona, I asked:
Does suppressing gut bacteria (using antibiotics) affect larval development, performance, or survival?
In contrast to many experiments conducted on laboratory-bred Manduca fed artificial diets, here I used field-collected insects fed wild Datura wrightii, their most commonly used food plant in that area. In future work, I will address whether microbes positively impact other components of M. sexta fitness, such as adult nutrition or egg defense.
This project was recently submitted for peer-review. The preprint is available here.
Does suppressing gut bacteria (using antibiotics) affect larval development, performance, or survival?
In contrast to many experiments conducted on laboratory-bred Manduca fed artificial diets, here I used field-collected insects fed wild Datura wrightii, their most commonly used food plant in that area. In future work, I will address whether microbes positively impact other components of M. sexta fitness, such as adult nutrition or egg defense.
This project was recently submitted for peer-review. The preprint is available here.
THE MICROBIOME OF Adult HELICONIINE BUTTERFLIES
Heliconius erato in Gamboa, Panama
Working with Owen McMillan, I am studying the microbial communities of adult neotropical passion-vine butterflies at a range of taxonomic and geographic scales. Heliconius and related genera are a widely studied model system for the evolution and genetic/developmental basis of wing coloration. These butterflies exhibit an amazing variety of mimicry patterns and participate in unique interactions with plants as both caterpillars and adults (see here). The main research questions I am investigating are:
- Have symbiont communities codiversified with their host lineages?
- Is the microbiome biogeographically structured?
- Do symbionts enable Heliconius butterfly adults to feed on pollen?
- What roles do gut microbes have in butterfly biology (e.g., nutrition, protection from pathogens)?
- Have symbiont communities codiversified with their host lineages?
- Is the microbiome biogeographically structured?
- Do symbionts enable Heliconius butterfly adults to feed on pollen?
- What roles do gut microbes have in butterfly biology (e.g., nutrition, protection from pathogens)?
