Rong Wantao, Wei Yanqi, Chen Yazhen, Huang Lida, Huang Shuiwang, Lv Yiwei, Guan Delong, Li Xiaodong
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sericulture Ecology and Applied Intelligent Technology, Hechi University, Hechi 546399, China.
Guangxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Modern Sericulture and Silk, Hechi University, Hechi 546399, China.
Animals (Basel). 2024 Dec 17;14(24):3634. doi: 10.3390/ani14243634.
Copper-based pesticides are extensively used in agriculture, yet their impacts on beneficial insects remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate how cupric chloride exposure affects the gut microbiome of Bombyx mori, a model organism crucial for silk production. Using 16S rRNA sequencing, we analyzed the gut bacterial communities of fifth-instar silkworm larvae exposed to different concentrations of cupric chloride (0, 4, and 8 g/kg) in an artificial diet. The high-dose exposure dramatically altered the microbial diversity and community structure, where the Bacteroidota abundance decreased from 50.43% to 23.50%, while Firmicutes increased from 0.93% to 18.92%. A network analysis revealed complex interactions between the bacterial genera, with Proteobacteria and Firmicutes emerging as key players in the community response to copper stress. The functional prediction indicated significant shifts in metabolic pathways and genetic information processing in the high-dose group. Notably, the low-dose treatment induced minimal changes in both the taxonomic composition and predicted functions, suggesting a threshold effect in the microbiome response to copper exposure. Our findings provide novel insights into how agricultural chemicals influence insect gut microbiota and highlight potential implications for silkworm health and silk production. This work contributes to understanding the ecological impacts of copper-based pesticides and may inform evidence-based policies for their use in sericulture regions.
铜基农药在农业中被广泛使用，但其对有益昆虫的影响仍知之甚少。在此，我们研究了氯化铜暴露如何影响家蚕（一种对丝绸生产至关重要的模式生物）的肠道微生物群。我们使用16S rRNA测序分析了在人工饲料中暴露于不同浓度氯化铜（0、4和8克/千克）的五龄蚕幼虫的肠道细菌群落。高剂量暴露显著改变了微生物多样性和群落结构，其中拟杆菌门丰度从50.43%降至23.50%，而厚壁菌门从0.93%增至18.92%。网络分析揭示了细菌属之间的复杂相互作用，变形菌门和厚壁菌门成为群落对铜胁迫反应的关键参与者。功能预测表明高剂量组的代谢途径和遗传信息处理发生了显著变化。值得注意的是，低剂量处理在分类组成和预测功能方面引起的变化最小，表明微生物群对铜暴露的反应存在阈值效应。我们的研究结果为农用化学品如何影响昆虫肠道微生物群提供了新的见解，并突出了对家蚕健康和丝绸生产的潜在影响。这项工作有助于理解铜基农药的生态影响，并可能为蚕桑养殖地区基于证据的农药使用政策提供参考。
