Characterization of the Diaspis echinocacti microbiome across a gradient of infestation on Opuntia stricta using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing

This project investigates the composition of the bacterial microbiome associated with the armored scale insect, Diaspis echinocacti, an agricultural pest of the prickly pear cactus (Opuntia stricta). The study aims to understand how the bacterial community structure shifts in response to varying insect infestation densities.Samples of D. echinocacti were collected from O. stricta cladodes in Campina Grande, Paraiba, Brazil, and categorized into three distinct infestation levels: low (less than 20% coverage), intermediate (20-50% coverage), and high (>50% coverage), with three biological replicates per group.