Data from: Developmental and ecological benefits of the maternally transmitted microbiota in a dung beetle

To complete their development, diverse animal species rely on the presence of communities of symbiotic microbiota that are vertically transmitted from mother to offspring. In the dung beetle genus Onthophagus, newly hatched larvae acquire maternal gut symbionts by the consumption of a maternal fecal secretion known as the pedestal. Here, we investigate the role of pedestal symbionts in mediating the normal development of Onthophagus gazella. Through the stepwise removal of environmental and maternal sources of microbial inoculation, we find that pedestal microbiota can enhance both overall growth and developmental rate in O. gazella. Further, we find that the beneficial effects of symbionts on developmental outcomes are amplified in the presence of ecologically relevant temperature and desiccation stressors. Collectively, our results suggest that the pedestal may provide an adaptive function by transmitting beneficial microbiota to developing dung beetle larvae and that the importance of microbiota for developmental and fitness outcomes may be context dependent.

多种动物物种完成发育，依赖于由母体垂直传递给后代的共生微生物群（symbiotic microbiota）群落的存在。在嗡蜣螂属（Onthophagus）蜣螂中，刚孵化的幼虫通过取食一种被称为pedestal（母体粪垫）的母体粪便分泌物，获得母体肠道共生微生物。本研究探究了pedestal共生微生物群在介导gazella嗡蜣螂（Onthophagus gazella）正常发育过程中的作用。通过逐步移除环境与母体来源的微生物接种源，我们发现pedestal共生微生物群可提升gazella嗡蜣螂的整体生长状况与发育速率。进一步研究发现，在生态相关的温度与干燥胁迫（desiccation stress）条件下，共生微生物群对发育结果的有益效应会得到显著增强。综上，本研究结果表明，pedestal可通过向发育中的蜣螂幼虫传递有益共生微生物群而发挥适应性功能，且微生物群对发育与适合度（fitness）结果的重要性可能具有环境依赖性。