Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, United Kingdom.
Curr Opin Insect Sci. 2019 Apr;32:42-46. doi: 10.1016/j.cois.2018.10.003. Epub 2018 Oct 19.
Defensive endosymbionts are now understood to be widespread among insects, targeting many different threats, including predators, parasites and disease. The effects on natural enemies can be significant, resulting in dramatic changes in the outcome of interactions between insects and their attackers. Evidence is now emerging from laboratory and field work that defensive symbionts can have important effects on the surrounding insect community, as well as on vulnerable enemy species; for example, by reducing prey available for the trophic level above the enemy. However, there is a need for more experimental work across a greater taxonomic range of species in order to understand the different ways in which defensive symbionts influence insect communities.
防御共生体现在被广泛认为存在于昆虫中，针对许多不同的威胁，包括捕食者、寄生虫和疾病。它们对自然天敌的影响可能是显著的，导致昆虫与其攻击者之间相互作用的结果发生巨大变化。现在有来自实验室和野外工作的证据表明，防御共生体可以对周围的昆虫群落以及脆弱的天敌物种产生重要影响；例如，通过减少可供天敌以上营养级别的猎物。然而，需要在更大的物种分类范围内进行更多的实验工作，以了解防御共生体影响昆虫群落的不同方式。
