title: Microbial community structure in the gut of the New Zealand insect Auckland tree weta (Hemideina thoracica).
abstract: The endemic New Zealand weta is an enigmatic insect. Although the insect is well known by its distinctive name, considerable size, and morphology, many basic aspects of weta biology remain unknown. Here, we employed cultivation-independent enumeration techniques and rRNA gene sequencing to investigate the gut microbiota of the Auckland tree weta (Hemideina thoracica). Fluorescence in situ hybridisation performed on different sections of the gut revealed a bacterial community of fluctuating density, while rRNA gene-targeted amplicon pyrosequencing revealed the presence of a microbial community containing high bacterial diversity, but an apparent absence of archaea. Bacteria were further studied using full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences, with statistical testing of bacterial community membership against publicly available termite- and cockroach-derived sequences, revealing that the weta gut microbiota is similar to that of cockroaches. These data represent the first analysis of the weta microbiota and provide initial insights into the potential function of these microorganisms.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Microbial Innovation, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Waite
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dsouza
authors.forename: Kristi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Biswas
authors.forename: Darren F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Deines
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001105:Archaea / Q000235:genetics*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D044822:Biodiversity; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D006135:Gryllidae / Q000382:microbiology*; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology*; D064307:Microbiota / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009520:New Zealand; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014197:Trees
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S