454 Pyrosequencing-based assessment of bacterial and fungal diversity and community structure in termite guts, mounds and surrounding soils

Our knowledge of the mutualistic association between termites and their gut symbionts has continued to attract the curiosity of researchers over years. Termites harbor a complex gut microbiota, which contribute to digestion, termite nutrition and gas (CH4, CO2 and H2) emission, hence providing a good model to study mutualistic associations between hosts and their gut microbial community structure and function. The fungus-cultivating termites have diverse microbial communities, the majority of which are still unexplored and uncultivated. This fact, coupled with the great diversity of termite species challenge our competence to resolve the physiology and metabolic functions of the bacteria in the gut ecosystem. The aims of this study were to compare the bacterial and fungal diversity and community structure between termite guts, their mounds and surrounding