Changes of Tenebrio molitor gut microbiota after environmental changes

We used Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera, Tenebrioninae) larvae which we first placed during five days in contact with soil samples coming from two riverside soils (slimy versus sandy) in Hérault, South of France. After this period, we described the gut microbial community of each insect using metabarcoding technique on the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. OTUs obtained in these insects were then compared to those of control insects reared in laboratory condition. We demonstrated that insects of the soil treatment have a significantly more diversified microbiota compared to control insects. This microbiota was consistent with previous description of soil-dwelling insects' microbiota, both in term of diversity and composition at the genus level. We also demonstrated that insects in contact with soil coming from different localities have significantly different microbiota, but there is an important part of inter-individual variability.