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Gut Microbial Communities in Mealworms and Indianmeal Moth Larvae Respond Differently to Plastic Degradation

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Abstract

Recent studies describe the role of specific isolated members of insect larval gut microbiota in plastic degradation. However, the effect of plastics on the entire gut microbial community composition and structure is yet unknown. To determine these roles, we studied two insect larvae – Tenebrio molitor degrades polystyrene (PS) and Plodia interpunctella degrades polyethylene (PE). We established two colonies of each species: control (fed oats) and test (fed either PS or PE). After dissecting the larvae to obtain their guts, we extracted, sequenced, and analyzed 16S rRNA through amplicon sequencing. In Plodia interpunctella fed only PE, we find significant increased relative abundance of microbial families Pseudomonaceae, Clostridiaceae and Caulobacteraceae - from 0.15% in the control to ~ 50% in the PE-fed group. In Tenebrio molitor fed only PS, degradation is not associated with significant changes in microbial abundance. We hypothesize that Tenebrio microbiome uses other mechanisms such as protein production and/or cross feeding, retaining the original gut microbial structure and composition during PS degradation. This study showcases the diverse mechanisms used by larval gut microbiota to achieve polyethylene and polystyrene degradation, indicating a variation in the effect of plastic degradation on the gut microbial community of larvae.

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Acknowledgements

This research received funding from Grants-in-aid awards provided by the Graduate School as well as the student organization Association of Biologists, both at Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA. The authors would also like to acknowledge Center for Biotechnology and Genomics (CBG) at Texas Tech University and RTL Genomics for their timely sequencing and quick turnaround for all the samples. The authors further acknowledge Dr. Moamen Elmassry whose contributions to data analysis were instrumental to the progress of this research.

Funding

Partial financial support was received as Grants-in-aid awards from student organization Texas Tech University Association of Biologists and the Graduate School at Texas Tech University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, 79409, TX, USA

    Anisha S Navlekar, Ezinne Osuji & Deborah L Carr

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  1. Anisha S Navlekar
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  2. Ezinne Osuji
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  3. Deborah L Carr
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Contributions

Authors ASN and DLC conceived and designed the research study. ASN conducted all the experiments. ASN and EO contributed equally towards data analysis. ASN wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Anisha S Navlekar.

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ASN declares that she has no conflict of interest. EO declares that she has no conflict of interest. DLC declares that she has no conflict of interest.

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Navlekar, A.S., Osuji, E. & Carr, D.L. Gut Microbial Communities in Mealworms and Indianmeal Moth Larvae Respond Differently to Plastic Degradation. J Polym Environ 31, 2434–2447 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-023-02773-6

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