American cockroach gut microbiome response to synthetic diets

This study aims to characterize how the American cockroach gut microbiome composition changes in response to synthetic diets. Synthetic diets allow greater control over the exact nutrient profile that gut bacteria are exposed to, so that more specific associations can be made between microbial taxa and nutrient source. The synthetic diets used in this study feature different carbohydrate sources: microcrystalline cellulose, methylcellulose, starch, xylan, pectin, chitin, and mucin. These carbohydrates comprise 70.5% of the diet by dry mass, and the remaining components casein, peptone, Vanderzant vitamin mixture, Wesson salt mixture, and cholesterol make up 17%, 8%, 0.5%, 3%, and 1% respectively.