Geographic factors influence communities of symbiotic bacterial communities in Aphis gossypii across China's major cotton regions

Our results demonstrate that geography is an important factor in shaping the endosymbiotic bacterial composition and diversity of <i>A. gossypii</i>. Among China's three major cotton-growing regions, the Yangtze River Basin exhibited the highest bacterial diversity, followed by the Northwestern Inland Region, and then the Yellow River Basin. <i>Acinetobacter, Lactobacillus, Serratia</i>, and <i>Aeromonas</i> were more abundant in the Yangtze River Basin, with positive correlations observed for <i>Acinetobacter, Serratia</i>, and <i>Aeromonas</i> in relation to annual precipitation. In contrast, <i>Candidatus Uzinur</i>a, dominant in southern Xinjiang, displayed negative correlations with precipitation and longitude but a positive correlation with altitude, and this report is the first detection of it in <i>A. gossypii</i>. <i>Buchnera</i> was ubiquitous and negatively associated with both precipitation and temperature, while <i>Arsenophonus</i> showed no significant environmental correlations. These findings highlight the distinct influences of geographic factors on <i>A. gossypii</i> endosymbiotic communities across China's major cotton-growing regions, broadening our understanding of aphid-endosymbiont-environment interactions and offering potential avenues for biocontrol strategies.