Mealworm and superworm gut microbiota

In this study, we tested for effects of polystyrene consumption on alpha- and beta-diversity of the gut microbiome in mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) and superworms (Zophobas morio). At the start of the experiment, 150 larvae of each species were placed in two separate containers; they were all fed with pure bran for one week to start. After one week, each population was divided into two separate jars after which the control-fed larvae continued to receive bran, whereas polystyrene-fed larvae received a small amount of bran plus polystyrene (see paper for details). After 30 days, larvae were frozen until DNA extraction. We extracted DNA and prepared 16S libraries for 20 larvae from each species/treatment combination. Amplicon libraries were sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq instrument (2x300bp) at the University of Central Florida.