A causal structure of insect symbiotic bacteria involved in carbon and nitrogen cycling

May 18, 2022

Inferences of material cycles of the humic chain between symbiotic bacteria in beetle larvae and forest

A joint research group of the RIKEN CSRS and IMS computationally predicted that the bacteria responsible for carbon and nitrogen cycling could be significant not only as a single dominant bacterium but also as a group of symbiotic bacteria in the complex symbiotic bacterial system in insects that eat wood biomass.

In this study, a profiling analysis of symbiotic bacteria involved in carbon and nitrogen cycling in beetle larvae that play a key role in the humic chain in the forest ecosystem was performed. They found that possible dominant symbiotic bacterial groups that are expected to have benefits to society have a causal structure (a chain of causal relationships) with other symbiotic bacterial groups that are more stable in quantity. This finding made it possible to classify symbiotic bacteria responsible for the metabolic flow of carbon and nitrogen into groups.

These findings show the significance of the diversity of bacterial groups living in insects (intestinal symbiotic bacteria). They also provide a new viewpoint that helps understand one of the rules in nature involved in the metabolic flow of carbon and nitrogen of bacterial groups involved in the humic chain in forests. Overall, the results of this study would contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Original article
Science of the Total Environment doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155520
H. Miyamoto, F. Asano, K. Ishizawa, W. Suda, H. Miyamoto, N. Tsuji, M. Matsuura, A. Tsuboi, C. Ishii, T. Nakaguma, C. Shindo, T. Kato, A. Kurotani, H. Shima, S. Moriya, M. Hattori, H. Kodama, H. Ohno, J. Kikuchi,
"A potential network structure of symbiotic bacteria involved in carbon and nitrogen metabolism of wood-utilizing insect larvae".
Contact
Atsushi Kurotani; Postdoctoral Researcher
Jun Kikuchi; Team Leader
Environmental Metabolic Analysis Research Team