Description
This session is dedicated to student talks from any field of study.
Bacteria of the family Cand. Midichloriaceae (Rickettsiales, Alphaproteobacteria) like Aquarickettsia spp. or Grellia spp. are common intracellular symbionts in a wide range of aquatic protists and animals, such as euglenozoans, placozoans or cnidarians. They have been detected in almost 10% of all aquatic microbiomes, but their pathogenic or beneficial roles in the associations remain...
Nutritional symbioses between chemosynthetic bacteria and animals form the base of the food web at hydrothermal vent ecosystems. Deep-sea mussels are among the most successful host groups in these ecosystems, and many species harbor sulfur-oxidizing (SOX) bacteria. We discovered that SOX symbionts in deep-sea mussels differ in their morphology: some mussels have endosymbionts, while others...
The flourishing of nutrient-providing and pathogen-suppressing microbiota is a prerequisite within the ontogenetic environment of Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies. In different plant substrates, larvae achieve higher developmental success with autochthonous vs. allochthonous microbial symbionts, vertically inherited through fecal matter deposition by egg-laying females. This indicates that...
Beetles have a hard cuticle that protects them against biotic and abiotic threats. Tyrosine is essential for cuticle synthesis but insects cannot synthesize it and must obtain it with their diet. Our study investigates the symbiotic relationship between Dinoderus porcellus and its two bacterial symbionts focusing on their contribution to the host’s cuticle development. The symbiont...
Insects frequently form symbioses with beneficial bacteria that are passed onto subsequent generations. While these heritable bacterial symbionts often play important roles in host biology, experimental approaches often are limited by an inability to independently cultivate such symbionts. Here, we demonstrate the independent cultivation of Fukatsuia symbiotica, a vertically transmitted...
The brown alga Ascophyllum nodosum and its microbiota form a dynamic functional entity named holobiont. The microbial partners play a role in seaweed health by producing bioactive compounds crucial for normal morphology and development. Ascophyllum is also an important raw material to produce plant biostimulants. However, we need more knowledge about the microbiome of Ascophyllum to understand...
