Host plants but not host races module the gut microbiota of Spodoptera frugiperda

Nathalia Oliveira, PhD student, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ) - University of São Paulo (USP)
Andy Michael, faculty mentor

Background

• Hometown: Piracicaba, Brazil
• Degrees received: Bachelor of Science in biological sciences, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil; Master of Science in entomology, University of São Paulo, Brazil

What is the issue or problem addresses in your research?

Insect gut microbiota can play important roles in host plant adaptation and speciation. Spodoptera frugiperda currently has two well-established strains, which differ at genetic level and utilization of host plants. The goal of this study was to verify whether S. frugiperda's corn and rice strains present differences in gut microbiota composition.

What methodology did you use in your research?

Larvae were collected from the same fields of corn, millet and cotton in a single, well defined landscape. Gut microbiota characterization was performed by sequencing the V4 region of 16S rRNA gene and reads were analyzed using QIIME2.

What are the purpose/rationale and implications of your research?

The Land Evaluation and Site Assessment (LESA) system showed apparently advantages in full consideration of farmland soil quality and site conditions and achieved more scientific zoning protection for the basic farmland. Finally, it testified the ration of LE and SA (6:4) subsystem in LESA system really reflected characteristics of farmland utilization and protection in Lingyuan County.