Influence of diet and habitat on the gut microbiome of a phasmid species
While the gut communities of some herbivorous insects are characterized by transient and food-derived bacteria, other studies do not find a strong correlation between diet and the gut microbiome. Previous studies on phasmids suggest that phasmids are well-adapted to changes in diets and may not be reliant on their gut microbiome for specialized digestion of plants. Here, we examine gut microbiome of the Gray's Malayan stick insect, Lonchodes brevipes, reared on two species of host plants, as well as the microbiome of the host plant leaves and soil because soil is the most emissive component of the habitat. Our study provides a nuanced view of the process of gut microbiome acquisition – while phasmids may be well-adapted to changes in diets, the distinct gut microflora which is contributed by the host plant differs, and may suggest that dietary efficiency and organismal fitness could be affected and is relevant to conservation and management.