Insect–Microbe Symbiosis

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbiomes".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 568

Special Issue Editors

Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
Interests: insect microbiome; Wolbachia; insect-microbe interactions

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Guest Editor

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Guest Editor Assistant
Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Forestry and Grassland, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Interests: insect–microbe symbiosis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The current Special Issue of the journal Microorganisms, entitled “Insect–Microbe Symbiosis”, invites researchers to publish their latest research findings and advancements, aiming to jointly explore the complex interactions between insects and microbes, as well as the multifaceted impacts brought about by their symbiotic relationships. This Special Issue intends to deeply investigate the important roles played by insect–microbe symbiosis in evolutionary processes, ecosystems, and the development of biotechnology.

Insect–microbe symbiosis is one of the most fascinating evolutionary partnerships in nature. These complex relationships drive ecological adaptation, shape community dynamics, and provide innovative solutions to global challenges. Symbiotic microbes endow insects with various key traits such as nutrient acquisition, detoxification, immune defense, and heat resistance, while insects offer a stable microenvironment for the survival of microbes. This interdisciplinary field integrates entomology, microbiology, ecology, and evolutionary biology, and holds transformative potential in sustainable agricultural development, vector control, and synthetic biology.

We are pleased to invite original research papers and review articles focused on deciphering the molecular mechanisms, ecological significance, and application potential of insect–microbe symbiosis. Suitable topics for this Special Issue include (but are not limited to) research on microbial community dynamics in insect hosts; symbiosis-driven evolutionary innovations; cross-kingdom signaling and metabolic co-evolution; practical applications in pest management/biological control; and omics-based research methods for symbiosis.

Dr. Yuxi Zhu
Prof. Dr. Mohamed Hijri
Guest Editors

Dr. Tongpu Li
Guest Editor Assistant

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Keywords

  • insect–microbe symbiosis
  • endosymbionts
  • microbiome
  • horizontal gene transfer
  • metabolic co-evolution
  • biological control
  • ecological resilience
  • antibiotic resistance
  • microbial ecology
  • host–symbiont co-evolution

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 4217 KB  
Article
Three Antibiotics Exert Differential Effects on the Larval Microbiome and Fitness of Hyphantria cunea
by Tong-Pu Li, Zhi-Heng Wang, Chen-Hao Wang, Bing-Ren Hao, Si-Ying Song, Zhuoma Dawa, Han Lei and Lv-Quan Zhao
Microorganisms 2025, 13(9), 2078; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13092078 - 6 Sep 2025
Viewed by 397
Abstract
The severe damage caused by the fall webworm Hyphantria cunea is closely related to its internal microbiota. However, due to the widespread use of antibiotics and their environmental persistence, the specific effects of various antibiotics on the microbiome and fitness of H. cunea [...] Read more.
The severe damage caused by the fall webworm Hyphantria cunea is closely related to its internal microbiota. However, due to the widespread use of antibiotics and their environmental persistence, the specific effects of various antibiotics on the microbiome and fitness of H. cunea larvae remain ambiguous. This study investigated the impacts of three antibiotics (tetracycline, rifampicin, and kanamycin) on microbiome assembly, functional traits, and host fitness. Our findings revealed that each antibiotic distinctly altered the microbial community: tetracycline primarily decreased bacterial diversity (e.g., reduced abundance of Actinomycetota) and suppressed host fecundity; kanamycin lowered microbial evenness (e.g., decreased Bacillota) and diminished pupal weight; whereas rifampicin significantly restructured the community (e.g., increased Pseudomonas and decreased Bacillota), enhanced functional traits such as biofilm formation and stress tolerance, and imposed multidimensional adverse effects on fitness (prolonged developmental duration, reduced pupal weight, and decreased hatching rate). Alterations in microbiome diversity, structure, and function were tightly correlated with the differential impacts of antibiotics on host fitness. This research elucidates the mechanisms by which antibiotics disrupt host–microbe interactions in H. cunea, offering a theoretical foundation for understanding antibiotic ecological repercussions and devising microbe-based green pest control strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect–Microbe Symbiosis)
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