BUSCADOR RECOLECTA

Digital.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC

oai:digital.csic.es:10261/283580

[Usage Notes] 16S amplicon sequencing and qPCR data. This archive contains 1) raw Illumina MiSeq reads (300bp, PE, Reagent Kit v3) for all bacterial 16S V3/V4 amplicons used in our study, 2) metadata for each sample/individual, formatted as a QIIME 1.9 mapping file, 3) preprocessed data and .biom tables used to generate our results using phyloseq 1.22.3, and 4) raw data from qPCR analyses used to generate our results. We used two databases, greengenes 13_8 and SILVA NR Small Subunit v128 to assign taxonomy in our study; the filenames of preprocessed data include the database used to generate each file. Szenteczki_et_al_P_alcon_16S_sequencing_and_qPCR_data.zip, Bacterial symbionts are known to facilitate a wide range of physiological processes and ecological interactions for their hosts. In spite of this, caterpillars with highly diverse life histories appear to lack resident microbiota. Gut physiology, endogenous digestive enzymes, and limited social interactions may contribute to this pattern, but the consequences of shifts in social activity and diet on caterpillar microbiota are largely unknown. Phengaris alcon caterpillars undergo particularly dramatic social and dietary shifts when they parasitize Myrmica ant colonies, rapidly transitioning from solitary herbivory to ant tending (i.e., receiving protein‐rich regurgitations through trophallaxis). This unique life history provides a model for studying interactions between social living, diet, and caterpillar microbiota. Here, we characterized and compared bacterial communities within P. alcon caterpillars before and after their association with ants, using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and quantitative PCR. After being adopted by ants, bacterial communities within P. alcon caterpillars shifted substantially, with a significant increase in alpha diversity and greater consistency in bacterial community composition in terms of beta dissimilarity. We also characterized the bacterial communities within their host ants (Myrmica schencki), food plant (Gentiana cruciata), and soil from ant nest chambers. These data indicated that the aforementioned patterns were influenced by bacteria derived from caterpillars’ surrounding environments, rather than through transfers from ants. Thus, while bacterial communities are substantially reorganized over the life cycle of P. alcon caterpillars, it appears that they do not rely on transfers of bacteria from host ants to complete their development., Peer reviewed