The Bacterial and Fungal Gut Microbiota of the Greater Wax Moth, L. Consuming Polyethylene and Polystyrene.
Juliana M Ruiz Barrionuevo, Brayan Vilanova-Cuevas, Analía Alvarez, Eduardo Martín, Agustina Malizia, Alberto Galindo-Cardona, Ricardo E de Cristóbal, M Angelica Occhionero, Adriana Chalup, A Carolina Monmany-Garzia, Filipa Godoy-Vitorino
Author Information
Juliana M Ruiz Barrionuevo: Instituto de Ecología Regional (IER), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT)-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Tucumán, Argentina.
Brayan Vilanova-Cuevas: Department of Microbiology and Medical Zoology, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Analía Alvarez: Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT), Tucumán, Argentina.
Eduardo Martín: Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT), Tucumán, Argentina.
Agustina Malizia: Instituto de Ecología Regional (IER), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT)-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Tucumán, Argentina.
Alberto Galindo-Cardona: Fundación Miguel Lillo (FML), Tucumán, Argentina.
Ricardo E de Cristóbal: INSIBIO (CONICET - UNT), Instituto de Química Biológica "Dr. Bernabé Bloj", Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina.
M Angelica Occhionero: Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT), Tucumán, Argentina.
Adriana Chalup: Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT), Tucumán, Argentina.
A Carolina Monmany-Garzia: Instituto de Ecología Regional (IER), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT)-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Tucumán, Argentina.
Filipa Godoy-Vitorino: Department of Microbiology and Medical Zoology, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Plastic production has been increasing exponentially in the last 60 years, but plastic disposal is out of control, resulting in the pollution of all ecosystems on Earth. Finding alternative environmentally sustainable choices, such as biodegradation by insects and their associated gut microbiota, is crucial, however we have only begun to characterize these ecosystems. Some bacteria and one fungus have been previously identified in the gut of Greater Wax Moth larvae ( L., Lepidoptera, Pyralidae) located mainly in the Northern hemisphere. The aim of this study was to describe changes in the gut microbiota associated with the consumption of polyethylene and polystyrene by the Greater Wax Moth in Argentina, considering both bacteria and fungi. Larvae were fed polyethylene, polystyrene and beeswax as control for 7 days. Next generation sequencing revealed changes in the bacterial gut microbiome of the wax moth larvae at the phyla and genus levels, with an increase in two strains. The fungal communities showed no differences in composition between diets, only changing in relative abundance. This is the first report of both bacterial and fungal communities associated with a plastivore insect. The results are promising and call for more studies concerning a potential multi-kingdom synergy in the plastic biodegradation process.
