Comparative microbe analysis of acid-tolerant and -sensitive Chironomus larvae

Chironomids (Diptera; Chironomidae) are among the most ubiquitous insects in aquatic habitats. Some larvae of Chironomus species can survive under extreme environments such as acidic pH, heavy metal contamination, and so on. Recently, many papers reported on the microbiome of Chironomus larvae, and some of which focus on the fact that Chironomus larvae are hosts of infectious microorganisms. On the other hand, there is also report of the contribution of the Chironomus larval microbiome to heavy metal tolerance. We focused on the microbiome of Chironomus larvae, which are distributed in a wide variety of environments on earth, especially their adaptability to acidic environments.