Evolution and Consequences of Nutrition-Based Symbioses in Insects: More than Food Stress

Abstract

Many, if not all insects, have microbes associated with their digestive tract or with bacteriocytes, specialized structures that host the microbial partners. More detailed investigations of these associations, which focused on those involving aphids and their bacterial symbionts, have established that specific nutrients lacking from an insect's diet can be complemented by microbial symbionts. Alleviation of nutritional stress has evolutionary consequences for both partners in these associations that may extend far beyond the nutritional level.