Animals live in symbiosis with numerous microbe species. While some can protect hosts
from infection and benefit host health, components of the microbiota or changes to the …

Beetles are hosts to a remarkable diversity of bacterial symbionts. In this article, we review
the role of these partnerships in promoting beetle fitness following a surge of recent studies …

Many animals depend on microbial symbionts to provide nutrition, defence or other services.
Holometabolous insects, as well as other animals that undergo metamorphosis, face unique …

Across the tree of life, hosts have evolved mechanisms to control and mediate interactions
with symbiotic partners. We suggest that the evolution of physical structures that allow hosts …

Understanding how horizontally transmitted mutualisms are maintained is a major focus of
symbiosis research. 1, 2, 3, 4 Unlike vertical transmission, hosts that rely on horizontal …

Many insects rely on microbial protection in the early stages of their development. However,
in contrast to symbiont-mediated defense of eggs and young instars, the role of microbes in …

Cooperative interactions among species, termed mutualisms, have played a crucial role in
the evolution of life on Earth. However, despite key potential benefits to partners, there are …

Insects that use ephemeral resources must rapidly digest nutrients and simultaneously
protect them from competitors. Here we use burying beetles (Nicrophorus vespilloides) …

Timing the acquisition of a beneficial microbe relative to the evolutionary history of its host
can shed light on the adaptive impact of a partnership. Here, we investigated the onset and …

Millions of years of co-evolution between animals and their associated microbial
communities have shaped and diversified the nature of their relationship. Studies continue …