0000000001319094
AUTHOR
Shantanu P. Shukla
Burying beetles regulate the microbiome of carcasses and use it to transmit a core microbiota to their offspring
Necrophagous beetles utilize carrion, a highly nutritious resource that is susceptible to intense microbial competition, by treating it with antimicrobial anal and oral secretions. However, how this regulates the carcass microbiota remains unclear. Here, we show that carcasses prepared by the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides undergo significant changes in their microbial communities subsequent to their burial and ‘preparation’. Prepared carcasses hosted a microbial community that was more similar to that of beetles’ anal and oral secretions than to the native carcass community or the surrounding soil, indicating that the beetles regulated the carcass microbiota. A core microbial comm…
Microbiome-assisted carrion preservation aids larval development in a burying beetle
Significance Ephemeral diets such as carrion are high-quality resources that are susceptible to microbial spoilage. Carrion-feeding insects that breed on decaying carcasses must overcome challenges arising from competing microbes. Here we report that a carrion-feeding burying beetle preserves carcasses by regulating its microbial growth, resulting in changes in its biochemical properties including the reduction of toxic polyamines associated with putrefaction and nutrient loss. The beetle’s microbial symbionts form a biofilm-like matrix on carcasses, which is important for optimal larval development. The beetles and their microbiome thus coordinate a specialized adaptive strategy of carrion…
Data from: Burying beetles regulate the microbiome of carcasses and use it to transmit a core microbiota to their offspring
Necrophagous beetles utilize carrion, a highly nutritious resource that is susceptible to intense microbial competition, by treating it with antimicrobial anal and oral secretions. However, how this regulates the carcass microbiota remains unclear. Here, we show that carcasses prepared by the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides undergo significant changes in their microbial communities subsequent to their burial and ‘preparation’. Prepared carcasses hosted a microbial community that was more similar to that of beetles’ anal and oral secretions than to the native carcass community or the surrounding soil, indicating that the beetles regulated the carcass microbiota. A core microbial comm…