4. Postal and E-mail address of the corresponding author
Corresponding author: Tao Xiong. E-mail: xiongtao@hotmail.com
Exploring gut microbiota
diversity in Catharsius molossus : influence of dietary conditions
on ecosystem functionality
Yue Mao1,
Xingjian Yang2, Hui Yuan1, Tao
Xiong1*
1Department of Life Science, Yangtze University,
Jingzhou 434000, Hubei Province, China;
2Department of Biology, Grinnell College, Grinnell
50112, IA, USA
*Corresponding author:
Tao Xiong,
Department of Life Science, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434000, Hubei
Province;
E-mail address: xiongtao@hotmail.com
Abstract: Dung beetle serve as valuable indicators for studying
environmental changes and as model systems for exploring ecosystem
functionality. By analyzing the diversity and composition of gut
microbiota in Catharsius molossus under starvation and refeeding
conditions, this study investigates the effects of dietary states on the
gut microbiota of these insects. Artificial rearing methods, along with
16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics, were used to
analyze Catharsius molossus gut microbiota under varying dietary
conditions. The results indicate that at the phylum and genus levels,
the gut microbiota of Catharsius molossus under refeeding
conditions is more diverse than that under starvation conditions, with
seven phyla and twenty-two genera showing significant differences
(P < 0.05). In terms of functional prediction, the
predicted functional genes of the gut microbiota were annotated to the
KEGG database, revealing significant differences in thirty-two metabolic
pathways at the third level (P < 0.05). Furthermore, it
provides functional prediction information related to specific microbial
taxa. Additionally, Dysgonomonas is speculated to participate in
nitrogen fixation, and the gut microbiota of Catharsius molossusmay potentially serve as a source of antimicrobial agents like
anshanmycin. These findings provide novel insights into Coleoptera
ecosystem microbial interactions and offer theoretical support for
future applications.
Keywords : Catharsius molossus ; gut microbiota; 16S rRNA
high-throughput sequencing; functional prediction; nitrogen fixation