Membracid bacteriome genome sequencing

Treehoppers of the families Membracidae and Aetalionidae depend on a plant phloem diet which is depleted in essential amino acids and some species maintain a symbiosis with ants, bees, or wasps that consume their secreted honeydew. In both functions, microbial symbionts have been proposed to play critical roles. This shotgun genomic sequencing study examined the bacteriomes and surrounding tissue to investigate microorganisms (bacteria, fungi) and viruses and phage to infer the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional roles of these symbionts.