Comparison of bacterial diversity in Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) ovaries and eggs based on 16S rRNA sequencing

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 11793
• Main Authors: Lixiang, Chen, Zhenya, Tian, Weihua, Ma, Jingjing, Wang, Qiaofen, Huang, Yongping, Zhou, Xuyuan, Gao, Hongsong, Chen, Zhongshi, Zhou
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 21-07-2023; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/326; 631/326/41; 631/326/41/2142; Animals; Bacteria; Bacteria - genetics; Bactrocera cucurbitae; Developmental stages; Eggs; Enterobacteriaceae; Female; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Microbial activity; Microbiota; multidisciplinary; Next-generation sequencing; Ovaries; Ovary; Pests; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; rRNA 16S; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Tephritidae - genetics; Verbenaceae
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38992-z

Next-generation sequencing allows for fine-scale studies of microbial communities. Herein, 16S ribosomal RNA high-throughput sequencing was used to identify, classify, and predict the functions of the bacterial communities in the eggs and ovaries of
Bactrocera cucurbitae
(Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae), which is a pest that infests a variety of cucurbit fruits at different developmental stages. Taxonomic analyses indicate that bacteria associated with
B. cucurbitae
represent 19 phyla, which were spread across different developmental stages. Specifically, the egg microbiota had a higher alpha diversity than those of microbiota in the primary and mature ovaries. Significant differences were not observed between the primary and mature ovaries in terms of their microbiota’s alpha diversities. Pseudomonadota, Deinococcota, Bacteroidota, Bacillota, and Actinomycetota were the dominant phyla in all three developmental stages of
B. cucurbitae
, and
Pseudomonadaceae
and
Enterobacteriaceae
were the most abundant families. Owing to the unique physiological environment of the ovaries, the diversity of their bacterial community was significantly lower than that in the eggs. This study provides new insights into the structure and abundance of the microbiota in
B. cucurbitae
at different developmental stages and contributes to forming management strategies for this pest.