Biological effects and differences on the gut microbiome of Galleria mellonella larvae consuming plastics

VILANOVA-CUEVAS, BRAYAN; DE CRISTÓBAL, RICARDO; MONMANY GARZIA, A. CAROLINA; MARTÍN, EDUARDO; ALVAREZ, ANALÍA; GALINDO-CARDONA, ALBERTO; OCCHIONERO, MARÍA ANGÉLICA; RUIZ BARRIONUEVO, JULIANA; CHALUP, ADRIANA; MALIZIA, AGUSTINA; GODOY-VITORINO, FILIPA

Bogota

Congreso; ISME Latin American Congress, ISME-LAT 2021; 2021

Universidad de los Andes

Plastic pollution is a footprint of the Anthropocene that is evident in all types of ecosystems. The main polluting plastics are polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene. The study of some insects that are able to biodegrade plastics with the help of their associated microbiota has gained importance in the last decade. We evaluated the consumption of polyethylene, expanded polystyrene and beeswax by wax moth (Galleria mellonella) larvae, and its effects on the biology of the species and on the diversity of gut microorganisms, through a diet trial and 16S and ITS next generation sequencing. The larvae consumed both types of plastics and completed their development in all three treatments, but the duration of the larval stage was shortened when consuming plastics. Gut bacterial communities, but not fungal communities, were different in larvae consuming wax and plastics. At the bacterial phylum level, the most abundant were Proteobacteria (72.2%), Firmicutes (14.9%) and Bacteroidetes (7.9%). In addition, Fusobacteria were present almost exclusively on wax and Fibrobacteria were only on plastics. In relation to fungi, we found Ascomycota (72.1%) and Basidiomycota (27.9%), with no clear differences between treatments. We identified the following biomarkers in wax: the Neisseriaceae family, the genera Fusobacterium, Actinobacillus, Alloprovotella, Streptococcus and Leptotrichia; and in plastics: Pseudomonas sp J27 and Pseudomonas citronellolis. This is the first evaluation of the response of gut microbiota including bacteria and fungi to plastic consumption in wax moth larvae. Analyzing the biological impacts of plastic consumption in G. mellonella is critical when evaluating the species potential for plastic biodegradation.