Effects of biodiversity of agricultural ecosystems on the insect’s microbiota

The intestinal bacterial community of insects plays a crucial role in their behavior, longevity, fertility, and overall health by aiding digestion, detoxification, nutrient provision, and defense against parasites and pathogens. The microbiota can exert positive, negative, or neutral effects on insects and is influenced by environmental factors. The current project, employing a multidisciplinary approach, aims to investigate the influence of landscape (floral biodiversity) and climate (temperature) on the composition of bacterial communities associated with insects using meta-barcoding techniques. This research will focus on model species, including pollinators and insects harmful to agriculture, such as Bactrocera oleae. Analyzing the bacterial community allows us to identify microbial associations and their functional roles within the host. Examining the correlation between the microbiota of pollinators and environmental conditions, including environmental type (sampling from areas dominated by intensive agriculture and semi-natural environments) and climate (exposing bees to high temperatures in the lab), helps us understand their influence on microbiota composition and, consequently, insect health. This information is valuable for strategies that increase both pollinator quantity and health by enhancing floral biodiversity in less complex environments. Furthermore, this project collects targeted data to develop strategies for disrupting insect-bacterial symbiosis in harmful insects (e.g., B. oleae), such as exposing samples to different antimicrobial treatments. Understanding insect microbiota and its environmental correlations is of paramount importance for promoting more environmentally sustainable strategies, with potential positive economic implications.