Gwokyalya, RehemahHerren, Jeremy K.Ndlela, ShepardGichuhi, JosephOngeso, NehemiahWairimu, Anne W.Ekesi, SundayMohamed, Samira A.2024-07-302024-07-302024-06Gwokyalya, R., Herren, J.K., Weldon, C.W. et al. Shaping the Microbial Landscape: Parasitoid-Driven Modifications of Bactrocera dorsalis Microbiota. Microbial Ecology 87, 81 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-024-02393-0.0095-3628 (print)1432-184X (online)10.1007/s00248-024-02393-0http://hdl.handle.net/2263/97321DATA AVAILABILITY : The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the Sequence Read Archive (SRA) at NCBI under Bioproject: PRJNA1042921.ESM 1 : Online resource 1. Table showing the relative abundance of the bacterial phyla of B. dorsalis larval guts post-parasitisation by Diachasmimorpha longicaudata and Psyttalia cosyrae.ESM 2 : Online resource 2. Table showing the percentage relative abundance of the most common bacterial genera in Bactrocera dorsalis. It includes the unparasitised larvae (control) and those parasitised by Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (BD-DL) and Psyttalia cosyra (BD-PC).ESM 3 : Online resource 3. Relative abundance of selected bacterial genera across the different Bactrocera dorsalis larval groups (Control, parasitized by Diachasmimorpha longicaudata and those parasitized by Psyttalia cosyrae).ESM 4 : Online resource 4. Differential abundance of bacterial ASVs and their taxonomic assignment in Diachasmimorpha longicaudata -parasitised Bactrocera dorsalis larvae compared to the control. Statistical significance of ASVs is assigned at a p-adjusted (padj) value less than 0.05.ESM 5 : Online resource 5. Differential abundance of bacterial ASVs and their taxonomic assignment in Psyttalia cosyrae -parasitised Bactrocera dorsalis larvae compared to the control. Statistical significance of ASVs is assigned at a p-adjusted (padj) value less than 0.05.ESM 6 : Online resource 6. Differential abundance of bacterial ASVs and their taxonomic assignment in Psyttalia cosyrae -parasitised Bactrocera dorsalis larvae compared to those parasitised by Diachasmimorpha longicaudata. Statistical significance of ASVs is assigned at a p-adjusted (padj) value less than 0.05.ESM 7 : Online resource 7. Percentage relative abundance of the most common bacteria genera in female Diachasmimorpha longicaudata and Psyttalia cosyrae.ESM 8 : Online resource 8. Percentage relative abundance of the most common fungal phyla in Bactrocera dorsalis. It includes the unparasitised larvae (control) and those parasitised by Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (BD-DL) and Psyttalia cosyrae (BD-PC).ESM 9 : Online resource 9. Percentage relative abundance of the most common fungal genera in Bactrocera dorsalis. It includes the unparasitised larvae (control) and those parasitised by Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (BD-DL) and Psyttalia cosyrae (BD-PC).Koinobiont endoparasitoids regulate the physiology of their hosts through altering host immuno-metabolic responses, processes which function in tandem to shape the composition of the microbiota of these hosts. Here, we employed 16S rRNA and ITS amplicon sequencing to investigate whether parasitization by the parasitoid wasps, Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmaed) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Psyttalia cosyrae (Wilkinson) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), induces gut dysbiosis and differentially alter the gut microbial (bacteria and fungi) communities of an important horticultural pest, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae). We further investigated the composition of bacterial communities of adult D. longicaudata and P. cosyrae to ascertain whether the adult parasitoids and parasitized host larvae share microbial taxa through transmission. We demonstrated that parasitism by D. longicaudata induced significant gut perturbations, resulting in the colonization and increased relative abundance of pathogenic gut bacteria. Some pathogenic bacteria like Stenotrophomonas and Morganella were detected in both the guts of D. longicaudata-parasitized B. dorsalis larvae and adult D. longicaudata wasps, suggesting a horizontal transfer of microbes from the parasitoid to the host. The bacterial community of P. cosyrae adult wasps was dominated by Arsenophonus nasoniae, whereas that of D. longicaudata adults was dominated by Paucibater spp. and Pseudomonas spp. Parasitization by either parasitoid wasp was associated with an overall reduction in fungal diversity and evenness. These findings indicate that unlike P. cosyrae which is avirulent to B. dorsalis, parasitization by D. longicaudata induces shifts in the gut bacteriome of B. dorsalis larvae to a pathobiont-dominated community. This mechanism possibly enhances its virulence against the pest, further supporting its candidacy as an effective biocontrol agent of this frugivorous tephritid fruit fly pest.en© The Author(s) 2024. Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Gut microbiomeDiachasmimorpha longicaudataPsyttalia cosyraeParasitisationBacteriaTephritidaeFruit flySDG-03: Good health and well-beingArticle