BACKGROUND Increasingly, it is recognized that the microbes resident in the
gastrointestinal tract can influence brain physiology and behavior. Research has shown that …

Insect guts present distinctive environments for microbial colonization, and bacteria in the
gut potentially provide many beneficial services to their hosts. Insects display a wide range …

For over 300 million years, insects have relied on symbiotic microbes for nutrition and
defence. However, it is unclear whether specific ecological conditions have repeatedly …

Their ability to degrade lignocellulose gives termites an important place in the carbon cycle.
This ability relies on their partnership with a diverse community of bacterial, archaeal and …

Highlights•New molecular methods have revealed microbiomes to be key components of
plant health.•Plant microbiomes are mainly recruited from soil, but also from seeds and …

Starting in 2006, surprisingly tiny genomes have been discovered from numerous bacterial
symbionts of insect hosts. Despite their size, each retains some genes that enable …

Termite guts harbor a dense and diverse microbiota that is essential for symbiotic digestion.
The major players in lower termites are unique lineages of cellulolytic flagellates, whereas …

Amblyomma americanum (Lone star tick) is an important disease vector in the United States.
It transmits several human pathogens, including the agents of human monocytic ehrlichiosis …

Microbiomes play a critical role in promoting a range of host functions. Microbiome function,
in turn, is dependent on its community composition. Yet, how microbiome taxa are …

Temperate honey bees (Apis mellifera) are challenged by low temperatures and abrupt
dietary shifts associated with behavioral changes during winter. Case studies have revealed …