Larval habitat determine the bacterial and fungal microbiota of the mosquito vector Aedes aegypti. Larval habitat determine the bacterial and fungal microbiota of the mosquito vector Aedes aegypti

Mosquito larval breeding sites are the source of contrasted microbial communities to which mosquitoes are naturally exposed. Mosquito larvae acquire many of their associated microbes from these aquatic habitats in which they develop. Lot of studies highlighted that the water habitat influences the assembling of larval microbiota. However, while growing studies focused on bacteria, little information is available on fungal microbiota, i.e. mycobiota. It remains unclear whether similar factors drive the acquisition of bacterial and fungal communities. In this study, we provide the first simultaneous identification on the bacterial and fungal microbiota of field-collected Aedes aegypti larvae in combination with their aquatic habitats. We evaluated whether the breeding site microbiota, similarly affect the assembling of both bacterial and fungal microbial communities in Ae. aegypti larvae. Our results show an impact of the breeding site water in shaping bacterial and fungal communities in larvae. Contrary to what has been observed for bacteria, larvae-associated fungal communities are more similar to those retrieved in the water. The community composition between water and larvae showed a higher similarity for fungi than for bacteria. Since the microbiota plays an important role in mosquito biology, a better understanding of the factors that shape its diversity and composition throughout the mosquito life cycle as well as the networks of interactions that operate between bacteria and fungal interactions are of primary importance in expanding our understanding of the functioning of the mosquito holobiont.