Assessment of bacterial communities of Coptotermes gestroi termite workers attacking Ironwood trees (Casuarina equisetifolia) in Guam for the presence of Ironwood tree decline-associated pathogens
The Ironwood tree (Casuarina equisetifolia) holds a significant ecological role in Guam where a decline in Ironwood trees was first documented in 2002. Studies have linked the Ironwood tree decline (IWTD) to bacteria from the Ralstonia solanacearum complex and wetwood bacteria, specifically Klebsiel...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1454861/full |
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| author | Garima Setia Junyan Chen Robert Schlub Claudia Husseneder |
| author_facet | Garima Setia Junyan Chen Robert Schlub Claudia Husseneder |
| author_sort | Garima Setia |
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| description | The Ironwood tree (Casuarina equisetifolia) holds a significant ecological role in Guam where a decline in Ironwood trees was first documented in 2002. Studies have linked the Ironwood tree decline (IWTD) to bacteria from the Ralstonia solanacearum complex and wetwood bacteria, specifically Klebsiella oxytoca and Klebsiella variicola. Presence of termites was first found to be associated with IWTD in 2010; however, the role of termites in IWTD is still not clear. The Asian subterranean termite, Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) frequently attacks Ironwood trees. As workers of this soil-dwelling species of the lower termites harbor a diverse microbial community in their bodies, we examined whether C. gestroi workers carry IWTD-associated bacteria and could, therefore, act as vectors. We described the bacterial community in C. gestroi workers using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and tested the impact of factors related to the location and health of the Ironwood tree the termites were collected from on termite bacterial diversity. Feeding assays were performed to assess if workers show preference in consumption depending on the amount of Ralstonia and wetwood bacteria in the food source. Health of Ironwood trees and level of site management impacted the bacterial composition of C. gestroi termite workers attacking the trees. Although C. gestroi workers equally consumed food sources with high and low Ralstonia and wetwood bacteria load in lab experiments, Ralstonia and other IWTD-related bacteria were not detected in considerable amounts in termite workers collected from trees. Thus, C. gestroi workers are not a vector for bacteria associated with IWTD in Guam. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-838dd5b98d9a4db29cde33b9f722bcef |
| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj-art-838dd5b98d9a4db29cde33b9f722bcef2024-12-18T15:04:41ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2024-12-011510.3389/fmicb.2024.14548611454861Assessment of bacterial communities of Coptotermes gestroi termite workers attacking Ironwood trees (Casuarina equisetifolia) in Guam for the presence of Ironwood tree decline-associated pathogensGarima Setia0Junyan Chen1Robert Schlub2Claudia Husseneder3Department of Entomology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, United StatesDepartment of Entomology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, United StatesUniversity of Guam, Cooperative Extension Service, GuamDepartment of Entomology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, United StatesThe Ironwood tree (Casuarina equisetifolia) holds a significant ecological role in Guam where a decline in Ironwood trees was first documented in 2002. Studies have linked the Ironwood tree decline (IWTD) to bacteria from the Ralstonia solanacearum complex and wetwood bacteria, specifically Klebsiella oxytoca and Klebsiella variicola. Presence of termites was first found to be associated with IWTD in 2010; however, the role of termites in IWTD is still not clear. The Asian subterranean termite, Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) frequently attacks Ironwood trees. As workers of this soil-dwelling species of the lower termites harbor a diverse microbial community in their bodies, we examined whether C. gestroi workers carry IWTD-associated bacteria and could, therefore, act as vectors. We described the bacterial community in C. gestroi workers using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and tested the impact of factors related to the location and health of the Ironwood tree the termites were collected from on termite bacterial diversity. Feeding assays were performed to assess if workers show preference in consumption depending on the amount of Ralstonia and wetwood bacteria in the food source. Health of Ironwood trees and level of site management impacted the bacterial composition of C. gestroi termite workers attacking the trees. Although C. gestroi workers equally consumed food sources with high and low Ralstonia and wetwood bacteria load in lab experiments, Ralstonia and other IWTD-related bacteria were not detected in considerable amounts in termite workers collected from trees. Thus, C. gestroi workers are not a vector for bacteria associated with IWTD in Guam.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1454861/fulltermitebacterial taxonomydiversity analysismetataxonomicsamplicon sequencing16S |
| spellingShingle | Garima Setia Junyan Chen Robert Schlub Claudia Husseneder Assessment of bacterial communities of Coptotermes gestroi termite workers attacking Ironwood trees (Casuarina equisetifolia) in Guam for the presence of Ironwood tree decline-associated pathogens Frontiers in Microbiology termite bacterial taxonomy diversity analysis metataxonomics amplicon sequencing 16S |
| title | Assessment of bacterial communities of Coptotermes gestroi termite workers attacking Ironwood trees (Casuarina equisetifolia) in Guam for the presence of Ironwood tree decline-associated pathogens |
| title_full | Assessment of bacterial communities of Coptotermes gestroi termite workers attacking Ironwood trees (Casuarina equisetifolia) in Guam for the presence of Ironwood tree decline-associated pathogens |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of bacterial communities of Coptotermes gestroi termite workers attacking Ironwood trees (Casuarina equisetifolia) in Guam for the presence of Ironwood tree decline-associated pathogens |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of bacterial communities of Coptotermes gestroi termite workers attacking Ironwood trees (Casuarina equisetifolia) in Guam for the presence of Ironwood tree decline-associated pathogens |
| title_short | Assessment of bacterial communities of Coptotermes gestroi termite workers attacking Ironwood trees (Casuarina equisetifolia) in Guam for the presence of Ironwood tree decline-associated pathogens |
| title_sort | assessment of bacterial communities of coptotermes gestroi termite workers attacking ironwood trees casuarina equisetifolia in guam for the presence of ironwood tree decline associated pathogens |
| topic | termite bacterial taxonomy diversity analysis metataxonomics amplicon sequencing 16S |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1454861/full |
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