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Volume 15
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10.3390/plants15010014
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Review

Gut Symbiont-Driven Adaptive Evolution of Herbivorous Insect–Plant Interactions and Its Ecological Implications

by
Junming Li
1,†,
Yaqi Yu
1,†,
Lovemore Zulu
2,
Nan Xu
1,
Yanxue Pan
1,
Wenze He
1,
Xunyue Liu
1,* and
Qiong Rao
1,*
1
Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Biology and Ecological Regulation of Crop Pathogens and Insects, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
2
College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100107, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Plants 2026, 15(1), 14; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15010014 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 3 November 2025 / Revised: 4 December 2025 / Accepted: 17 December 2025 / Published: 19 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Symbionts in Plant–Insect Interactions)
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

The interaction between plants and phytophagous insects is one of the most complex relationships in ecosystems. By acting as direct third-party participants, gut symbionts redefine this binary antagonistic relationship. This article reviews the roles of gut symbionts in the adaptive evolution of phytophagous insects, highlighting their important roles in degrading plant secondary metabolites, modulating plant defense responses, promoting insect nutrient absorption, and shaping immune phenotypes. Gut symbionts not only enhance the adaptability of insects by degrading plant defense compounds, but also significantly influence their physiological adaptation by manipulating plant defense signaling pathways, regulating the immune system of insects, and promoting their rapid adaptation to external stress. When insects are confronted with environmental changes or shifts of host plants, the dynamic plasticity of the gut symbionts provides them with evolutionary advantages. Reviewing the mechanism of action of intestinal symbiotic bacteria in the adaptive evolution of insects is helpful to deepen our understanding of the ecological interaction process between insects and plants.
Keywords: gut symbiont; herbivorous insect; interaction; adaptive evolution; ecological effect gut symbiont; herbivorous insect; interaction; adaptive evolution; ecological effect

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MDPI and ACS Style

Li, J.; Yu, Y.; Zulu, L.; Xu, N.; Pan, Y.; He, W.; Liu, X.; Rao, Q. Gut Symbiont-Driven Adaptive Evolution of Herbivorous Insect–Plant Interactions and Its Ecological Implications. Plants 2026, 15, 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15010014

AMA Style

Li J, Yu Y, Zulu L, Xu N, Pan Y, He W, Liu X, Rao Q. Gut Symbiont-Driven Adaptive Evolution of Herbivorous Insect–Plant Interactions and Its Ecological Implications. Plants. 2026; 15(1):14. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15010014

Chicago/Turabian Style

Li, Junming, Yaqi Yu, Lovemore Zulu, Nan Xu, Yanxue Pan, Wenze He, Xunyue Liu, and Qiong Rao. 2026. "Gut Symbiont-Driven Adaptive Evolution of Herbivorous Insect–Plant Interactions and Its Ecological Implications" Plants 15, no. 1: 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15010014

APA Style

Li, J., Yu, Y., Zulu, L., Xu, N., Pan, Y., He, W., Liu, X., & Rao, Q. (2026). Gut Symbiont-Driven Adaptive Evolution of Herbivorous Insect–Plant Interactions and Its Ecological Implications. Plants, 15(1), 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15010014

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