Influence of different diet categories on gut bacterial diversity in <i>Frankliniella occidentalis</i>

The microbial composition of insect guts is typically influenced by the type of food consumed, and conversely, these microbes influence the food habits of insects. Western flower thrips (WFT; Frankliniella occidentalis) is an invasive pest with a wide range of hosts, including vegetables and horticultural crops. To elucidate variations in gut bacteria among WFT feeding on rose (Rosa rugosa) flowers (FF), kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) pods (PF), and kidney bean leaves (LF), we collected adult guts and extracted DNA for 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing of microbial communities. The results revealed that the FF population had the highest number of annotations. Alpha diversity analysis revealed that the Chao and Ace indexes were the greatest in the PF population, indicating a higher abundance of gut bacteria. Moreover, the Simpson index was the highest in the FF population, indicating that gut bacterial diversity was the highest in the FF population. Comparison of species composition demonstrated that Proteobacteria dominated all 3 populations at the phylum level, with Actinobacteria being the subdominant phylum. At the genus level, Stenotrophomonas was the dominant bacteria in the PF and LF populations, whereas Rosenbergiella was dominant in the FF population. KEGG pathway annotation predicted that the gut bacteria of adult WFT were mainly involved in carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism. Our results revealed that the diversity and composition of WFT gut microbiota are influenced by diet, offering evidence for future studies on the ecological adaptability of WFT and the mechanisms underlying the interaction between gut microbiota and host.