ESTIMATING BACTERIAL DIVERSITY INSCIRTOTHRIPS DORSALIS(THYSANOPTERA: THRIPIDAE) VIA NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCING.
The last 2 decades have produced a better understanding of insect-microbial associations and yielded some important opportunities for insect control. However, most of our knowledge comes from model systems. Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) have been understudied despite their global importance as invasive species, plant pests and disease vectors. Using a culture and primer independent next-generation sequencing and metagenomics pipeline, we surveyed the bacteria of the globally important pest,Scirtothrips dorsalisHood. The most abundant bacterial phyla identified were Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria and the most abundant genera werePropionibacterium, Stenotrophomonas, and Pseudomonas. A total of 189 genera of bacteria were identified. The absence of any vertically transferred symbiont taxa commonly found in insects is consistent with other studies suggesting that thrips primarilly acquire resident microbes from their environment. This does not preclude a possible beneficial/intimate association betweenS. dorsalisand the dominant taxa identified and future work should determine the nature of these associations.
Mid-Florida Research & Education Center, University of Florida, 2725 Binion Rd., Apopka, FL 32703, USA.
Aaron M
AM
Dickey
Biology Department, University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge St., Omaha, NE 68182, USA.
Andrew J
AJ
Trease
Indian River Research & Education Center, University of Florida, 2199 South Rock Rd, Fort Pierce, FL 34945.
Antonella
A
Jara-Cavieres
Mid-Florida Research & Education Center, University of Florida, 2725 Binion Rd., Apopka, FL 32703, USA.
Vivek
V
Kumar
Biology Department, University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge St., Omaha, NE 68182, USA.
Matthew K
MK
Christenson
Biology Department, University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge St., Omaha, NE 68182, USA.
Lakshmi-Prasad
LP
Potluri
USDA-ARS, U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory, 2001 South Rock Rd., Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA.
J Kent
JK
Morgan
USDA-ARS, U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory, 2001 South Rock Rd., Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA.
Robert G
RG
Shatters
USDA-ARS, U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory, 2001 South Rock Rd., Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA.
Cindy L
CL
Mckenzie
Biology Department, University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge St., Omaha, NE 68182, USA.
Paul H
PH
Davis
Mid-Florida Research & Education Center, University of Florida, 2725 Binion Rd., Apopka, FL 32703, USA.
Lance S
LS
Osborne
Metagenomics; Next Generation Sequencing; chilli thrips