[Leps-l] "The curious case of the caterpillar's missing microbes" - Nature, 18 May 2017

Joseph Kunkel joe at bio.umass.edu
Fri May 19 14:27:05 EDT 2017


The fact that lepidopteran caterpillars are born with no gut microbes is fairly understandable given the mode of their eggs being laid.  The eggs are covered with a chorion and not brooded like bird or reptile eggs.   While the hatched larvae do eat their chorion of the hatched egg it is likely not coated with appropriate bacterial spores.  Given that a majority of leps are not devoted to a single food plant it is probably not possible to provide a microbiome to prepare it for its food plant on which it lands/on laying.  Another reason is that its parent was a moth/butterfly that is quite distant from the life style of a caterpillar and would not be expected to pass a microbiome from its larval childhood.   It is not as surprising as it first sounds and argues for the evolution of its appropriate digestive enzymes without relying upon microbes which are passed easily to the next generation by the birth process in vertebrates be it by shelled egg or delivery through a birth canal.  Interesting that Caesarean birthed humans are now being studied for their lack of the appropriate microbiomes of normal birthed humans.

Irrespective, it is a very interesting point to add to our understanding of leps and other insect physiology and development.

Now, I will read the paper!!

Joe Kunkel
-·.  .· ·.  .><((((º>·.  .· ·.  .><((((º>·.  .· ·.  .><((((º> .··.· >=-       =º}}}}}><
Joseph G. Kunkel, Emeritus Professor
Biology Department
UMass Amherst 
Amherst MA 01003
joe at bio.umass.edu
 
> On May 19, 2017, at 12:41 PM, Jim Mason <jim at gpnc.org> wrote:
> 
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.nature.com_news_the-2Dcurious-2Dcase-2Dof-2Dthe-2Dcaterpillar-2Ds-2Dmissing-2Dmicrobes-2D1.21955&d=DwIFaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=tVAKMFPe3UCcsMWUFXo0FeX0xe1JUAj77B74DAI3DKI&m=_pGcs9bs8qWCu4HNiXu8w-UixgGLdjXiqT9IzoUwy-k&s=tPMMd_a8pYFETEOEAFu9yMO7FKVMnNNKxgRT_XIk71g&e= 
>  
> From: leps-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu [mailto:leps-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Mike Quinn
> Sent: Friday, May 19, 2017 8:00 AM
> To: Dplex <Dplex-L at lists.ku.edu>; TXENTO <TX-ENTO at listserv.uh.edu>; Entomo-L <ENTOMO-L at listserv.uoguelph.ca>; Leps-L <leps-l at mailman.yale.edu>
> Subject: [Leps-l] "The curious case of the caterpillar's missing microbes" - Nature, 18 May 2017
>  
> New paper indicates that monarchs and some other caterpillars, fish, and bats may not have microbes in their guts to help break down food.
>  
> I can't link to the paper due to limited computer functionality while on the road, but the title of the paper is in the subject line.
> Mike Quinn, Austin
> ________________
> Texas Entomology
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__texasento.net&d=DwIFaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=tVAKMFPe3UCcsMWUFXo0FeX0xe1JUAj77B74DAI3DKI&m=_pGcs9bs8qWCu4HNiXu8w-UixgGLdjXiqT9IzoUwy-k&s=s65oKGaXjYyJjZxTNcOWJmqCTmD_fct76G1eKqLyPMY&e= 
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