This research investigates how the squash bug, Anasa tristis, reliably acquires essential microbial symbionts from the environment each generation. The study demonstrates that nymphs actively seek out feces of adult conspecifics, attracted by both fecal matter and the symbionts themselves, using olfactory cues. This specialized foraging behavior, including a unique "flush feeding" technique, ensures efficient symbiont uptake. Furthermore, the research reveals that symbiont acquisition triggers a shift from searching to feeding behavior in nymphs. Interestingly, nymphs preferentially acquire symbionts from their own species, even when exposed to compatible symbionts from a closely related squash bug species, suggesting species-specific transmission mechanisms drive host-microbe associations. This work highlights sophisticated insect behaviors that maintain crucial mutualisms despite the risks of horizontal transmission.
Source: Specialized acquisition behaviors maintain reliable environmental transmission in an insect-microbial mutualism
