Host Development and Environment Influence the Microbiomes of Aquatic Insects and Riparian Spiders.
- 1Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
- 2U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
Abstract
Larval aquatic insects harbour diverse microbiomes critical for physiology and development, yet the effects of metamorphosis combined with environmental exposures on this community remain unknown. Herein we examined bacterial microbiome composition and predicted function across larval and adult stages of three families of aquatic insects and riparian spider predators, collected upstream and downstream of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Ontario, Canada. Insect host developmental stage was the primary driver of microbiome structure. Larval microbiomes were more diverse and showed higher abundances in pathways reflecting active feeding. Larval and adult populations of holometabolous insects shared few ASVs (3.8%-12.6% of the combined ASV pool), whereas a larger proportion was shared in hemimetabolous insects (23.4%). WWTP effluent exposures led to selective microbial filtering rather than broad community restructuring. Macroinvertebrate and spider microbiomes sampled downstream were characterized by higher abundances in bacterial taxa associated with wastewaters and increased xenobiotic degradation pathways. Such impacts on spider microbiomes provide evidence that ecological impacts of effluents cross the aquatic-terrestrial boundary. Lastly, a significant decrease of vertically transmitted endosymbionts (Rickettsiella, Wolbachia) was detected in aquatic insects, representing a pathway through which effluent pollution may affect host fitness without detectably altering overall microbiome diversity.
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BibTeX
@article{esser2026host,
title = {{Host Development and Environment Influence the Microbiomes of Aquatic Insects and Riparian Spiders.}},
author = {Milena Esser and Brittany Perrotta and Karen Kidd},
journal = {Environmental microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1111/1462-2920.70472},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42971791},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Host Development and Environment Influence the Microbiomes of Aquatic Insects and Riparian Spiders.
AU - Milena Esser
AU - Brittany Perrotta
AU - Karen Kidd
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/01
JO - Environmental microbiology
DO - 10.1111/1462-2920.70472
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42971791
AB - Larval aquatic insects harbour diverse microbiomes critical for physiology and development, yet the effects of metamorphosis combined with environmental exposures on this community remain unknown. Herein we examined bacterial microbiome composition and predicted function across larval and adult stages of three families of aquatic insects and riparian spider predators, collected upstream and downstream of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Ontario, Canada. Insect host developmental stage was the primary driver of microbiome structure. Larval microbiomes were more diverse and showed higher abundances in pathways reflecting active feeding. Larval and adult populations of holometabolous insects shared few ASVs (3.8%-12.6% of the combined ASV pool), whereas a larger proportion was shared in hemimetabolous insects (23.4%). WWTP effluent exposures led to selective microbial filtering rather than broad community restructuring. Macroinvertebrate and spider microbiomes sampled downstream were characterized by higher abundances in bacterial taxa associated with wastewaters and increased xenobiotic degradation pathways. Such impacts on spider microbiomes provide evidence that ecological impacts of effluents cross the aquatic-terrestrial boundary. Lastly, a significant decrease of vertically transmitted endosymbionts (Rickettsiella, Wolbachia) was detected in aquatic insects, representing a pathway through which effluent pollution may affect host fitness without detectably altering overall microbiome diversity.
SN - 1462-2912
SN - 1462-2920
ER -