Symbiotic microbial population composition of Apolygus lucorum under temperature and pesticide pressures

Insect population control using pesticides faces new challenges as global temperatures change. Symbiotic bacteria of insects play a key role in insect resistance to pesticides, and these symbiotic bacteria themselves are sensitive to the effects of temperature changes. <i>Apolygus lucorum</i>, a sucking pest, survives in a wide range of temperatures (15°C-35°C), and is presently controlled predominantly using the pesticide imidacloprid. Here, we investigated the effects of temperature and imidacloprid on <i>A. lucorum</i> microbial population composition using 16S rRNA sequencing. We found that the application of imidacloprid in high-temperature environments led to an increase in the species diversity of bacteria in the body of <i>A. lucorum.</i> High temperatures may disrupt the symbiotic relationship between certain bacteria and <i>A. lucorum</i>, such as <i>Cedecea neteri</i>. High temperatures led to a decrease in the abundance of <i>Cedecea neteri</i>. <i>Agathobaculum butyriciproducens</i>, <i>Advenella migardefenensis</i>, and <i>Akkermansia muciniphila</i> were very sensitive to temperature and were strongly affected by temperature changes. Microorganisms that were greatly affected by the concentration of imidacloprid in the community include <i>Aeromonas caviae</i> and <i>Akkermansia muciniphila</i>. The aim of this study is to reveal the dynamics and diversity of symbiotic bacteria of <i>A. lucorum</i> treated with imidacloprid at a range of temperatures. These results provide insight into new strategies for pest control in a changing climate.