Sexual variation of bacterial microbiota of Dendroctonus valens guts and frass in relation to verbenone production

Gut microbiota are widely involved in insect biology, and many factors can influence the microbiota in guts and frass. Dendroctonus valens is a very destructive forest pest in China, and the mass-attacking behavior is regulated by several semiochemicals, including verbenone, a multifunctional pheromone. The beetle harbors a variety of bacteria in its guts and frass and some of them are capable of verbenone production. D. valens is characterized by monogamy and female-initiated attacking behavior. Whether the bacterial communities fluctuate according to sex, and whether the variation influences the verbenone production, remains to be determined. In this study, the bacterial microbiota in D. valens guts and frass were analyzed, and verbenone production by their crude bacterial suspensions was compared in vitro. Bacterial diversity in female frass is more abundant compared to male frass, and the percentages and total amounts of main genera like Lactococcus and Pseudomonas in female frass are significantly higher than those in male frass. The verbenone produced by the female frass suspension is significantly higher than male frass. This study presents a comprehensive comparison of bacterial communities in guts and frass between both sexes of D. valens, highlighting the potential significance of female frass microbiota in verbenone production.